The Four of Us
by LilyBartAndTheOthers
Summary: There is no theory when it comes to parenting, it is all about practicing. Drabbles about Jane and Maura raising their twins throughout their life. Sequel to From Punta Cana With Love, We'll Always Have Boston and Haumea. Pre-established Rizzles.
1. Four Months Old

_**Author's note: back from WIFI-less Greece; here comes the sequel to Haumea, daily updates as usual (you know the deal), enjoy...!**_

**Chapter One: Four Months Old**

Ten minutes. It had been ten minutes since she and Jane had put the girls into their cribs – in the nursery – and that a strange silence had taken possession of the house. Even the wall in front of her seemed bare, suddenly. What could she say? They had got used to the reflection of the multicolored tortoises of the lampshades on it and the soft music playing in the background.

The sight of their daughters only a couple of feet away from their own bed.

Uncomfortable, Maura swallowed hard and frowned. Gasp of horror. There – on the floor – lay one of Lucie's pacifiers. It must have fallen down when they had moved the cribs back to the nursery.

"Jane, we have a problem." Clutched to her wife's arm, Maura squinted her eyes at the object and bit her lips to prevent sobs from coming out.

On the other side of the bed, the brunette wasn't doing any better than the medical examiner. Lost in the same state of confusion, she kept on staring at the wall; unable to move an inch. Guilt had crept into her mind as soon as they had decided – upon a common agreement – to finally make Alba and Lucie sleep in their own bedroom. As much as specialists affirmed it was never too early and it all depended on the parents' desire to find back a semblance of intimacy, she couldn't help feeling that strong surge of shame whenever she thought about it.

"What is it?" Worried, Jane turned her head around and looked at Maura before wincing in pain as the honey blonde's nails dug into her arm. "Hey, I'm not a piece of meat. Stop checking if I'm done."

"Number three is on the floor." Quick motion of the head – eyes widened in panic – in direction of the door.

If they had learned something about raising twins, it had to be the amount of clothes and objects the situation required to the point they had started numbering most of them to not lose track of any. And there lay pacifier number three, cruelly mocking their negligence at 10.30pm.

"Oh no." Jane's voice resounded low – shaking – in the silence of the night. That meant Lucie – the crying queen whose lung capacity surprised to Maura – would spend the night with only two pacifiers.

And two weren't enough.

With apprehension and care, they both got up and grabbed the object of their fears before casting a glance at the corridor. What were they supposed to do, now? Risking a journey to the nursery with the possibility to wake them up or shamefully let their four-month-old daughter deal with the fact that – for once – she would have to do with two pacifiers only?

Maura sighed and ran a hand through her hair in defeat. If Angela were there, she would laugh at them before telling them they were too soft and genuine. But then was it their fault if Lucie cried whenever she didn't have three pacifiers by her side?

_Come on, Isles. This is a sign. Be strong and let go. _

Not much convinced by her own inner voice, Maura grabbed the pacifier – went back to bed – and put it down on her bedside table before taking a deep breath. Back to the contemplation of the wall.

"But..." Taken aback by the gesture, Jane retreated to the bed and slip under the blanket. If she had decided to play the cool mom card in public, things were quite different in the intimacy of their life. She was weak. Way too weak.

"They need to learn." Nodding in determination – yet completely unconvinced – Maura rested her head on her wife's shoulder and closed her eyes for long seconds.

The night would be long.

And stressful.

"What are we supposed to do, now?" Sleeping didn't even seem to be an option. _Gosh you're utterly ridiculous, Riz'. _

Why? Why had they decided to make them sleep in the parental suite in the first place? If they had stayed in the nursery right from the start then they wouldn't have felt bad now. The truth was that – after long weeks spent at the hospital – they had tried to catch back on time and subconsciously or not clutched to their daughters at any cost.

Too much obviously.

The contact of Maura's warm lips on her neck made her jump of surprise, stirring up old sensations she had long forgotten now. But instead of abandoning herself to them, Jane widened her eyes in horror and stared at Maura in disbelief.

"Sex? Really?" _There's no need to hiss like that, Rizzoli. Calm down, dammit. _But as she turned on a side to take the honey blonde in her arms, another question rose in her head and she swallowed hard as the words passed her lips timidly. "Are you sure? Are you ready?"

They hadn't had sex since the birth of the twins. The situation had been such that their couple life – or whatever was left of it – had been put into parenthesis. Besides, Maura had had a c-section and she hadn't felt well for a long time. How long were they supposed to wait? Jane swore quietly for not having checked anything regarding this on the web.

But Maura nodded; her hazel eyes locked in her wife's dark ones. A peaceful nod preceeding a long and eager kiss, the kind they hadn't shared for a very long time. Caresses and sighs – warm lips and short breaths – leading to a well needed intimacy they slowly enjoyed finding back.

"I missed you..." Maura's whisper died against Jane's ear as the brunette let her hands slide on the scientist's hips – passing underneath the satin of her negligee – before discarding the delicate piece of clothing.

The gesture made Maura gasp and she instinctively took her distance from Jane's arms.

"I'm sorry... Did I hurt you?" The Italian was in panic. In pure panic. Her wife had taken her aback, she wasn't ready for it and could feel the iciness of fear run through her veins; feeding her heart that beat too fast. Were her breasts too sensitive? Did her scar still hurt? And if so, what about the rest?

"No, you didn't. It isn't that." Blushing – obviously feeling embarrassed – Maura looked down and avoided Jane's gaze at all cost. She had assumed that making love would help them to relax as well as find back a semblance of normality in their very baby-oriented life but she had forgotten a very important point in all this.

"Then what is it? Maur'... Look at me!" With gentleness, Jane grabbed her wife's chin to force her to look up. The blonde seemed to have succumbed to painful thoughts. She wasn't going to cry, was she?

"I am fat."

_Oh God. _Jane rolled her eyes – prevented herself from snapping Maura's head for scaring her like that – and wrinkled her nose.

"What on Earth? You're the sexiest woman alive." As if to prove her point, Jane caressed the honey blonde's thigh and planted a kiss on her bare shoulder blade.

The medical examiner hadn't lost all her pregnancy weight yet – which was perfectly normal – but the truth was that Jane had also got used to these curves she now liked a lot. Really a lot. Without waiting for a reply, she began to trace a path of kisses down Maura's throat while her hands travelled up her body. They met as they reached the blonde's breasts before accompanying her mouth down to her stomach and legs.

Jane froze, nonetheless aware of the arousal her ministrations had stirred up on Maura. "I don't dare to... I don't dare. I don't want to hurt you." Turning red as a brick, the Italian cleared her voice and forced a nervous smile. _What a team, seriously. Maura thinks she's an elephant and you're afraid to touch her where she needs it. Grand. _

"It has been four months, Jane. My perineum is just fine. I won't fall down into pieces. Just... Don't be too rough...? Or stick to the rest." Maura made a face. So much for being romantic.

She had no issue to understand Jane's apprehension but she did feel ready. She wanted it. They had spent a very relaxing summer day with Lisa – Guadalupe – and Haumea in Boston Common. Not a single argument had darkened the evening and they had peacefully had dinner in the patio, rocked by the warm breeze of July.

The night was perfect. Perfect for it.

Jane nodded. Both hands on Maura's hips. _Now that was quite the right moment for an existential question, Riz'. You're basically between her legs and paralyzed by fear. This is ridiculous. Really. _Trying to ignore the embarrassment of her uncertainty, she let her lips wander back up her wife's body until she found her mouth in an eager kiss.

Slowly – very slowly – her left hand caressed Maura's side before plunging in the depth of her thigh with delicacy.

Then Lucie started crying.

"Of course." Nodding to nobody but herself, Jane rolled on her side – ran a hand through her hair – and cast an amused glance at Maura who didn't seem to appreciate much the abrupt ending of what she had started.

"They won't get the best of my sexual life. No way." The honey blonde got up with determination – grabbed the pacifier – and walked out of the bedroom in direction of the nursery completely naked. But ten minutes later, she reappeared with both cribs and settled them back against the wall.

Pouting, she sat back in bed and shook her head at the scene. "They own us, Jane. They own us..."

Lucie and Alba 1 – 0 Jane and Maura


	2. Six Months Old

_**Author's note: thank you so much for all the reviews already, keep them coming!**_

**Chapter Two: Six Months Old**

The doors of the autopsy room flew opened, their metallic sound soon followed by heavy steps – confident ones – that only stopped as they reached the table by which Maura was standing. Silence. A very brief one.

And then Jane huffed, visibly annoyed.

"How come the tox-..." A well-known noise coming from her right made her stop right in her tracks. She snapped her head – blinked – and made a face. Exit the delay of the toxic report of the case she was working on, her priority was now lying somewhere else.

Like on the metallic table in the corner of the room and the two babies dropped on it.

"Maura?"

Focused on the corpse of a seventy-five-year-old man, the honey blonde hummed a vague 'yes' and squinted her eyes at a suspicious mark on her patient's neck.

"Can you tell me why our daughters are in their baby carriers, up on that table? Front row for your autopsy?" And very well awake if Jane took in consideration the constant babbling of Lucie while Alba looked all around – with her big green eyes – her curiosity piqued.

"Chicken pox. The daycare called me, they had to close... Your mother being in New York and mine being... Well, mine... I had no choice but to bring them here with me."

Jane frowned. Fair reason. Somehow. How come the daycare hadn't tried to call her first? _Really? A jealous fit now? Really? _"Alright..." Yet knowing better than to piss her wife off with a lack of tact, the Italian took her time – chose her words wisely – before speaking again. "But don't you think it'd be better if they stayed in your office?"

Scalpel in hand, Maura finally looked up at Jane. She seemed confused, utterly lost. "Why? At least here they are with me. If I leave them in my office, they will be alone. I am sorry but I cannot really postpone my autopsy to look after them all day long. I have a busy schedule, today."

Jane swallowed hard. "But they are facing a corpse right now!"

Suddenly realizing what her wife meant, Maura shrugged – took her latex gloves off – and walked to the table where the twins had been put on then turned around their baby carriers towards the wall.

"Are you happy, now?"

Red alert: activated. Instead of giving in and causing an argument, Jane took a deep breath then bit her lips.

Reconciling their careers and their family life was tough. They had demanding jobs but the twins required most of their time as well. Too many last-minute changes, not enough backup plans.

"We need to find a babysitter."

Maura swallowed back a moan of despair. Jane was right – she knew it – but she was not ready for it at all. No matter how stressful their daily routine could be. The mere idea of leaving their twins to a complete stranger made her sick. What if something happened? Her lips began to tremble.

"Honey, it's gonna be okay..." Not missing a bit of her wife's upcoming nervous breakdown, Jane rushed to Maura and took her in her arms; rubbing her back, planting kisses on her head.

The babysitter idea didn't please her either but they could not keep up that way. She had taken way too many days off since Maura had given birth and the case she was now working on required full attention.

Burrying her face in the honey blonde's neck, she let the scientist's fragrance go to her head rather bewitchingly. The smell sent a shiver down her spine, stirred up a wave of warmth in her stomach. She smiled, peacefully. How did Maura manage to calm her down so easily?

Cupping the blonde's face with her hands, Jane forced her to look up into her own dark eyes. "Why would it be that hard to find a babysitter, anyway?"

...

A nightmare. They had spent the whole day interviewing potential babysitters and so far, none had really caught their attention enough. Checking the name list for the thousandth time, Jane sighed.

"Ouch!" Holding her head, the brunette widened her eyes – shocked – at Alba who was sitting on the floor and kept on laughing hard after having thrown at her mother one of her rubber toys.

"What is happening?" Maura stepped into the living-room carrying Lucie in her arms. As soon as the baby saw her sister, she began to kick her legs; asking for release. The scientist obliged before sitting back next to Jane on the couch.

"Your daughter tried to knock me out with her rubber scalpel kit. You know, I did think this whole medical toys thing was cute but if she actually tries to turn me into a patient for her autopsy I might change my mind about it."

Maura grabbed the object in question and put it aside on the couch. "It isn't a scalpel she threw at you but a hammer." Turning around, she looked at the culprit and frowned. Angry? Not so much. She desperately lacked authority. "One simply does not throw medical instruments, Alba. Even the rubber ones."

But the baby was now too busy ploting her next crime with her sister to ever hear Maura. The honey blonde shrugged – sighed – and smiled at Jane before resting her head on her shoulder. The house – as big as it was – had turned into a mess. There were toys everywhere – kimono tops abandoned on top of chairs – and shoes in every corner. Maura blinked. She could barely remember the time when she didn't fear to walk on LEGO pieces.

_Monica: too strict._

_Juliet: not patient enough._

_Kim: too weird._

_Elizabeth: too shy._

_Emily: didn't show up._

She frowned at the babysitter list Jane was holding.

Tiny hands pulling on their pants took them out of their daydreams. Without saying anything but – rather easily – fearing the worst, Jane and Maura looked down; ready to face their daughters' next misfortunes.

Wrong.

This time, both girls had simply crawled to the couch and were asking to sit on their mothers' lap. A sweet gesture of affection that the daily pace of their life had made vanish a bit too quickly. Eagerly, Jane grabbed Lucie while Maura took Alba for some needed cuddle time.

Maura closed her eyes and held her daughter tightly against her. She lived for moments like this one and the surge of power that seemed to emanate from them. The twins could have left handprints on every single wall of the house that she would have never been able to be mad at them. Their smiles and laughter warmed her heart to a point she could barely explain.

"Why is Alba wearing her pajamas? It is 3.30pm." There was no reproach in Maura's tone, just a bit of curiosity. Yet how come she hadn't noticed this earlier?

"She yelled when I tried to change her. Sorry but I want a peaceful Saturday so pj's it is." Jane was about to add something when the door bell resounded loud – unexpectedly – in the house. "Who is that?"

Maura shrugged – stood up – and Alba in her arms, walked to the door to open it.

"Oh my god, here's my niece!" Cailin burst in – dropped a huge bag on the floor – and grabbed a very confused Alba to make her twirl around before holding her tight. "Oh my... They really look like each other!"

Jane smiled at the comment while standing up and walking to Maura's step-sister. "Fraternal twins, there is no doubt about it." Big green eyes – light brown hair – and the same pale complexion as Maura. They had her smile too, in spite of what the medical examiner said.

"Oh! They have teeth!"

The remark made Maura laugh. "They are six months old, now. They eat solid food as well."

"Did you breastfeed them?" Cailin looked utterly happy. And suntanned. Australia seemed to have done her good.

"I used a breast pump for a while..." She hadn't wanted to breastfeed if only to not make Jane feel aside. At least with baby bottles, both could have enjoyed such a personal moment. It had worked well until she had felt too tired to keep it up along with her job.

"Aren't you supposed to be on the other side of the world?" Jane cast a brief glance at her wife only to make sure that her question was not tactless. Maura looked as lost as she was.

Cailin, not so much.

Shrugging very matter-of-factly, the young woman sat on the floor and began to play with Alba and Lucie.

"I decided to move back to Boston. My job out there was crappy and I wanted to see the girls so bad... Do you have a babysitter already? Because if not, I soooo sign in for the job."

Maura raised a dubious eyebrow.

Interesting timing yet was Cailin responsible enough for it? Hard to forget the few weeks the young woman had spent at the Beacon Hill house. The experience was still weighing on the honey blonde's mind.

Jane's hand sliding on her waist to hold her tight made her relax slightly. Alba and Lucie seemed to already have hit it off with Cailin.

Jane cleared her voice, barely restraining a smile of victory. "Well, actually..."


	3. One Year Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews; I take note of your suggestions and will add them to the story at some point (like Maura's jealousy)!**_

**Chapter Three: One Year Old**

A bright, warm day. The sun caressed her feet as she walked into the living-room, a huge smile on her lips.

She kissed the twins on the top of their head – the toddlers way too busy to even notice her presence – then headed straight to the kitchen where Jane was preparing some coffee.

"Good morning..." Maura's hoarse voice resounded low – soft – as she passed her arms around her wife's frame to hold her tight from behind. Her lips brushed the Italian's neck in a shy kiss.

Jane turned around, all smiles. "Hey you."

The sensation to be floating in a dream. Maura had got used to it and instead of trying to analyze it, she now simply embraced it. Fully, openly. She loved these quiet mornings when the twins played peacefully next to Jane and her before walking unsteadily to them, extending their little arms to be taken on their mothers' laps.

"A year..."

Jane nodded and checked at their daughters dangerously approaching a traumatized Coco Loco. "I guess we can officially say that time flies by."

Alba and Lucie's first birthday. Already. It had certainly not been easy all the time but she could say now that they had finally found some balance in the exhausting life of raising twins.

They could all thank Maura's borderline organization skills though. And the help of their friends and relatives.

"Happy anniversary." This time, the honey blonde grinned and captured her partner's lips in a long kiss.

Two years might have passed by since they had taken their relation to another level back in Punta Cana, it was still strange – at times – to think about it. Jane didn't regret it the slightest bit but the presence of Maura in her arms – intimately – still stirred up a whole wave of strong feelings that barely seemed to connect to reality.

It was Maura she was kissing, Maura she was sleeping with. Raising two little girls with. Maura she had married.

Maura.

Back to reality. Reluctantly, the brunette broke the kiss and cast a glance at the schedule hung on the wall. Best idea they had ever come up with to organize every single day.

"We are running out of sugar and there isn't enough flour for the cakes so I'll quickly have a shower then head to the supermarket for some grocery shopping. In the meantime, you get the girls ready?" Nod. "Perfect. And please, don't force Alba to wear a dress if she doesn't want to. It's her birthday... I don't want her to be grumpy."

Maura pouted – rolled her eyes – but raised her hands in defeat. If Lucie was quiet and easy to live with, Alba had developed a strong temper. She was stubborn. A mini-Jane if one listened to Angela. Last kiss and the brunette ran to the stairs, discarding Alba in the process as she caught the girl there busy trying to open the baby gate.

It was a sweet morning and she would have loved spending it with Maura on the couch – or in bed but with the twins around, it was a no-go – but their respective families would arrive around 1pm to celebrate the girls' first birthday and they had a very tight schedule to follow.

Cuddles would wait.

She stepped into the shower – turned the water on – and froze as a huge noise resounded loud in the house soon followed by an icy silence and cries.

...

Holding Lucie tight against her, Jane closed her eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath. The cacophony of the ER drove her crazy, feeding her anxiety hungrily. If her heart kept on beating fast, it wouldn't go through the day.

A long, terrible day.

"Jane?"

Maura's shaking voice made her look up right away. The honey blonde looked calm, way too calm to her own taste.

"Alba is fine. She has a broken arm but she is fine, no concussion... Nothing. They are going to put a cast and she will be discharged. You can come in."

Jane nodded – stood up – and subconsciously tightened her embrace on Lucie who kept on staring at her surroundings in silence.

But the moment the little girl saw her sister on the examination table, she started crying hysterically.

Alba was quiet – for once – but pouting as a single tear remained up there on her red cheek. She did not seem scared but upset. Jane put Lucie down on the table by her sister before sweeping away the tear that shone way too bright on Alba's face.

She had fallen down the stairs. Maura had immediately taken charge of the situation but still, there they were on the twins' first birthday. At the ER.

If the honey blonde was a control freak, she was actually dealing with the situation perfectly. Professionally. Perhaps the medical checkup had been reassuring enough for her to not have the nervous meltdown Jane was going through right now.

"Why do you cry, Lulu Belle? Alba is doing just fine..." Maura approached her crying daughter and showed the other twin who frowned – visibly confused – at her sister's reaction.

Jane took Lucie back in her arms for a comforting hug and looked at Maura with guilt. "What a way to celebrate a birthday..." Her voice broke.

"Oh, Jane..." The scientist swept away dark curls from her wife's face and planted a loud kiss on her cheek before rubbing her back and holding her tight.

Long after they would go back home – celebrate the birthday with everyone – and go to bed, a heavy feeling of guilt would still haunt Jane.

Tossing around, she sighed loudly and bit her lower lip as Maura settled by her side for the night. "It's my fault. I didn't close the baby gate back when I went to take a shower."

The words had been burning her lips since she had seen Alba rolling on the floor – crying her eyes out – while Maura was squatted by her side checking her with professional eyes and this frightening quietness.

The blonde made a face and shook her head. "It could have happened to anyone. Alba is fine. She was ecstatic to have birthday presents and she ate more cake than you and I. Don't feel guilty... You are a good mother, a very good one. I would have never been able to go through this year without you. You have been fantastic since the very beginning."

Maura's encouraging words didn't find any echo whatsoever in Jane's broken heart. She had kept a straight face all day long as they had come back from the hospital and celebrated the birthday with their relatives but the guilt was too heavy, now.

"No. I did something very bad. For a while we wondered if Cailin would be a good babysitter but look at it... She's been perfect since the very beginning when I'm the one who screwed it. Imagine what could have happened! And yet... Al still has a broken arm! She's one year old and she already has a broken arm! Because of me."

Maura came closer – passed a leg between her wife's – and took her in her arms as her lips brushed the brunette's cheek. Her hand sliding on Jane's flat stomach.

"You are way too tough with yourself. Haumea broke her wrist at the park a few months ago. These things happen... You are very careful with the girls but they can't live in bubble wrap paper either..."

It was odd to hear Maura say that. Jane would have bet that she would have been the one reacting this way if something like that had to happen. But today was proving her that she had been wrong. The honey blonde's wisdom seemed to bring her a new strength and quietness that Jane didn't own.

"I sent our baby to the hospital, Maur'. I'm a beast."

This time, the medical examiner burst out laughing and shook her head in disbelief. If things had changed since Punta Cana, their life had taken a drastic turn since she had given birth to the twins.

Jane had endorsed responsibilities with easiness – almost naturally – and thought more about any of her acts before actually giving into them fully. She was a mother, with all the things it implied.

She was a very protective one.

"Alba looked thrilled to have a bright green cast with dinosaurs on it. The meds knocked her out a bit but once the scare turned to be behind her, she had a wonderful day with everyone. And she loves you. A lot."

Unconvinced growl. Pout.

"I'll take her to the osteopath tomorrow morning." Hard to take a day off but it was an emergency and Cavanaugh would understand. Hell she couldn't care less if he didn't in the first place.

"I love you."

Maura's smile following her sweet confession echoed timidly on Jane's own lips. The words sent a wave of warmth boil in her lower stomach, sweeping the guilt away – little by little – as the blonde captured her lips for a deep kiss. Soothing caresses. Clothes discarded.

A well needed moment of intimacy.


	4. One And a Half Year Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews!**_

**Chapter Four – One and a Half Year Old**

"Do you have children, Dr. Isles-Rizzoli?"

The question wasn't surprising at all. The group had been talking about parenthood for the last ten minutes or so and – vaguely timid – Maura had remained quiet; a smile playing on her lips. As all the faces turned towards her, she took a deep breath and tried to ignore the way her heart began to beat faster.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I have eighteen-month-old twins... Girls."

The exclamation of surprise that followed warmed up her heart. People always loved the idea of a multiple pregnancy and parenthood. They found it cute, and tough enough. Mentally preparing for the series of questions that would obviously follow such confession, she sat up on her seat.

"So your husband is dealing with them while you're abroad? He's brave! Mine would hardly be able to handle our children for three hours in a row."

The comment made her laugh but anxiety made her tightened her grip on her glass of wine. It was her first international conference since she had given birth to Lucie and Alba. The first time ever – apart from a weekend in Salem – that she didn't see Jane and their daughters. Boston was far from Oslo and she missed them a lot.

"I don't have a husband."

But before she had a chance to add anything, another medical examiner growled and rolled her eyes before shaking her head. "Divorced? A single mom raising twins... That's hard!"

"Oh no, I am not divorced. I am married... But to a woman." Smile. Deep breath before the silence that followed. Always the same one. People weren't mean – they didn't do that on purpose – but as she revealed such part of her life, it always took them a moment to fully register the information.

She and Jane had been rather spared by negative remarks so far.

"Oh! Then that solves the husband's incapacity to take care of your children!"

Maura offered a polite smile and took a sip of her drink. "Jane – my wife – is a good mother but we both have demanding jobs. She is a homicide detective... Thankfully we can count on relatives and friends to help us with the girls when needed, like now..."

Until the last minute, Maura had almost renounced to her business trip. It was far and too long for her to go and leave Jane like that with the twins. But the Italian had insisted and there she was now. Separated from her family by an ocean that had never seemed so big.

"Did you carry the twins or she did?"

Perhaps some people would have found the questions intrusive but she didn't. On the contrary, she happily took the time to reply if only to show everyone that she was leading a rather classic life.

"I did... But we are now debating the idea of Jane giving it a try. It has been on her mind a lot these past few months."

How did she dare to tell it to all these people when it was something they hadn't even mentioned to anyone else in Boston? Not even to Lisa and Guadalupe who had turned to be very close friends. A bit of guilt passed underneath her skin and tightened its grip on her mind. She swallowed hard. And so what? These people wouldn't judge her nor say it to anyone. She had just met them and was there trying to socialize with them. Nothing else.

"Good luck for that, then! You're ready for a third? I admire you! My son is five and I can't imagine adding another one to the family right now!"

Maura frowned and seemed to ponder the remark. Alba and Lucie took most of her time already but then Jane's chances to get pregnant would be soon too low to even give it a try. It was now or never. They both knew it.

"They are going to daycare and at the age of three, they will go to French school as well. I guess we could have another one, yes... It has been tough at the beginning but now we are organized enough."

A couple of hours later – as she found back the intimacy of her hotel room – Maura lay down on the bed and turned her tablet on for a Skype session with Jane. She checked the time.

The timing was perfect unlike a couple of days before when the twins had been sleeping and she had not been able to see them at all.

As the screen darkness faded away to reveal three well-known faces, Maura grinned and laughed out loud as Alba and Lucie shrieked when noticing her; their tiny hands trying desperately to touch the laptop screen in Boston.

"Hello..." A surge of lightness took possession of the honey blonde's heart and she giggled with Jane for a while, enjoying their daughters' reaction to the Skype session. "You made them wear the same clothes?" It wasn't a reproach but surprise as the Italian had made a point to never dress the twins in the same way since their birth.

Jane snorted. "Why it's game day! We're all wearing Red Sox jerseys!" As if to prove her point, she pulled on her shirt then showed Alba and Lucie's own ones. The three of them were wearing a very identical jersey, in different sizes as much as the twins had one that was large enough to serve as a dress. But they didn't seem to mind.

"It is cute... And... Wait! Is Alba wearing a hairband? Really? How did you manage to do that? She refuses I touch her hair!"

"She grabbed it when I took her out of the bathtub and never let go of it until I showed her it had to go on her head... As much as she's still rather bald."

Jane made a face and ran a hand through her daughter's lack of hair. It had become a joke. The girls still didn't have much hair. It was short, and rather fair. Nothing to comb at all. Great to make them wear hats or baseball caps the way Lucie was now wearing one, backwards.

"Hmm, I see. So it has to do with me. Thank you, Alba. Really!" But Maura's tone didn't reflect an ounce of anger, on the contrary. Amused, she cast a last look at her daughter before focusing back on Jane. "How are you doing?"

The Italian shrugged, pouted. "Fine... I came back home in the middle of the night. We got a brand new victim and got the call around 11pm. Same modus operandi."

Maura raised an eyebrow. "A serial killer?"

New shrug. "Could be..." But as if realizing that the discussion was not idyllic with toddlers on her knees, Jane swept it away with a gesture of the hand and smiled brightly at the screen yet trying to prevent Alba from grabbing a sharpie to put it in her mouth. "How is Oslo? Going wild, tonight?"

"I am that close to order herbal tea. This is as wild as I will go tonight. We had dinner already, they are nice... They asked me about you and the girls." Maura looked down – frowned – and swallowed hard before daring to add something. "Jane, I want this child with you. I really do."

They had barely alluded to it. Evasively. On several occasions but still. Nothing concrete at all. At least until now. As Maura looked up and searched for her wife's eyes through the screen, she came to face a surprised Jane. Touched.

"Maybe it won't work..." The brunette's hoarse voice died in a delicate timidity as she shrugged and planted a kiss on top of Lucie's head who had started crying a bit after Alba had begun to pull on the baseball cap rather abruptly.

"Maybe it will."

"What... What about a third bedroom? We don't have it and you already gave up on your yoga room for the girls."

Maura pouted. Everything seemed clear and logical, all of a sudden. Perfect, and easy. "The twins can share their bedroom. Anyway, they already do most of the time. Who said it was indispensable for them to have their respective bedrooms? Many siblings don't and everything is fine."

Fair point. For long seconds, Jane remained quiet and pondered the words. It was not as if she were going to get pregnant within the next morning but still, the decision was a big one to take. _And why are we discussing it like that – so seriously for the first time – via Skype? Talk about a dysfunctional couple, Riz'...! _

"Then... Well... When you come back we can go and see with Elizabeth, maybe." Jane blushed and looked down at her lap as she mentioned Maura's OB/GYN. There was no way she would do anything as long as Maura was in Oslo.

"Sure! And Jane... Look at me, please... Also put this sharpie out of reach. Alba is going to draw on herself again and we both know how hard it is to wash it away."

Jane nodded and obliged before locking her eyes with her wife's.

"Everything is going to be alright, no matter what. Keep that in mind, please. Okay?" Maura smiled and nodded in echo to Jane. "I miss you so much."

"We miss you too. But you're having fun with your nerd buddies, right? If so then we're happy for you. Enjoy it and come back soon. Or else Alba will menace to tattoo herself with indelible sharpie. And we both know she'd be up the challenge. She has Rizzoli genes."

Maura shook her head in disbelief. "Which goes beyond me and science, really... I miss their smell. And your presence by my side when I try to fall asleep." _Life makes little sense when I don't have you around. Very little sense, Jane. Very, very little sense._


	5. Two Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the suggestions and reviews.**_

**Chapter Five: Two Years Old**

Her chin resting on top of her knees, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The smell of the sea went to her head bewitchingly, embracing her in a soothing way that made a timid smile play on her lips. The sensation was well needed, soft enough.

But soon she forgot about her surroundings and everything came back to her mind with that harsh – abrupt – reality she had hoped to leave behind as the plane had taken off and Boston had vanished through heavy clouds. Distance was one of these cruel tricks, not really working.

_"What is it?"_

_Pause. A long one._

_"A pregnancy test."_

_Confused silence weighing in endless interrogations._

_"It is negative."_

_"I know."_

She frowned, trying to mentally sweep away the awkwardness of that face-to-face she needed – one way or another – to forget. But in spite of her efforts, the memories were there. Vivid. She could see her mother's face – drown in a sentiment of betrayal and incomprehension – as she had grabbed that test summing up months of secrets.

It hadn't worked out. She had gone through hormonal injections – endured body changes and mood swings – for a painful couple of hours that had followed the insemination and for what? For absolutely nothing. It had been vain.

She wasn't carrying anything inside of her body.

_"Maura wanted to get pregnant again?"_

_"No." Pause. "It was me."_

The seconds had flown away at a cruel speed. Neither she nor her mother had dared to speak, not really knowing what to say. Then her cell phone had rung and she had had to leave for work.

End of confessions.

Laughter rose on her left. Abandoning these thoughts that kept on haunting her mind, Jane turned her head around and watched how Maura was approaching holding Alba and Lucie by the hand.

The brunette waved at them, smiled brightly.

The little girls left footprints on the sand, their cotton dresses dancing in the wind; caressing their chubby little legs. They looked ecstatic. All of a sudden, they let go of Maura's hand and ran to Jane with their fists tightly clutched.

Her curiosity piqued, the Italian raised an eyebrow. "What are you holding?"

Proud, Alba opened her hand to reveal a seashell. "For you." Lucie repeated the gesture, imitating her sister; as usual. She had never been the leader in this duo.

Emphasizing her pleasure, Jane gasped – grinned – and accepted the seashells before taking each of the twins in her arms for a big hug, holding them so tight that she rolled on the sand with them, the echo of their laughter covering for a few seconds the sound of the waves.

"You should go and collect new ones. We will make necklaces out of them. But don't step into the water. It is cold, now."

The twins nodded at Maura and ran a few feet away down the beach. Settling next to her wife, the honey blonde looked at them for long seconds before focusing on Jane. She passed an arm around her waist – planted a kiss on her shoulder – before resting her head on it.

The last-minute news of the failed insemination was weighing a lot on what should have been one of these symbolic moments that defined an existence. There they were, helpless. Completely disarmed. Unsure of what to say or how.

"The sunset is still as breathtaking..." Maura's voice rose in the air, full of melancholy. Her typical delicate sweetness.

Jane nodded and smiled as the sun began to caress the sea, embracing it of its orange shades. Their first time back to Punta Cana; three years after this stay that had changed their life forever.

At every corner memories seemed to rise with strength. From their first kiss to the ocean of doubts she had lost herself into as the days had passed by and Maura had imposed herself as the love of her life.

"They seem to like the Dominican Republic." Jane motioned at the twins in front of them. Running around, screaming of delight while picking up seashells on the sand with the innocence that only a peaceful childhood could bring.

"You know that you are their mother as much as I am, don't you?" The question hit the air with that ounce of uncertainty that only untold topics owned. Maura looked down – blushing – before locking her eyes with Jane's as determination pierced through her hazel pupils.

They weren't novices. How could they have lost themselves in such hopes, so easily? They knew – from experience – that chances were thin. And now they were left with the ruins of a broken dream.

Jane nodded. "I do." Nod of determination, honest smile. "Yes, I do." Yet she had missed it out. She was almost forty-three years old. They could try again but deep inside, she knew that it wasn't worth it. Besides, she wasn't sure that she was ready to face another failure if that ever happened. No. She simply had missed it out, missed out her chances. Odd how until she had held the pregnancy test in her hands and read the negative sign, she hadn't even thought about all of this. But now she did. Over and over, the thought turning into an obsession.

She would never know how it felt to give birth to someone, to carry a person for nine months in a row.

Yet she understood more than ever the fragility of life and how precious it was. How lucky she and Maura were to have Lucie and Alba.

"Al! What did we say about stepping into the water?" Too late. Jane made a face as she saw the girl made a step towards the sea and a wave crashed against her naked legs.

Cries in three, two, one...

The Italian rolled her eyes – stood up – and went to pick up her daughter who has not appreciated much the late bath. "What is it that you never listen to us?" Pause. Jane swallowed hard. "Oh god... I sound just like ma'."

By the time she reached the dry sand, Maura was holding Lucie by the hand and had stood up, both ready to leave. "Lisa – Guadalupe – and Haumea are waiting for us at the restaurant. It is dinner time!"

Jane nodded and cast a last glance at Alba who was pouting against her chest. The toddler was hopping mad to see her seashell adventure come to an end so abruptly.

"They are way too excited. Bedtime is going to turn into a nightmare."

The remark made Maura smile. Up on her tiptoes, she leaned over to plant a soft kiss on Jane's lips which stirred up a wave of giggles from the twins. Soon enough, they would pretend to be offended by such gesture of affection. For the moment, they only found it funny and it wasn't rare to see them clap their hands when they caught their mothers kissing.

"I have high hopes over the power of sea breeze. It usually wears them out. With a bit of luck, they will have passed out by the time we have dessert."

Jane rose an unconvinced eyebrow. Lucie and Alba were back on the ground, running everywhere around; shrieking of delight. And if nothing had changed, they would all be awoken at 7am by the melody of a bachata. The Club Med would always be the Club Med.

"You surely sound hopeful..."

Maura shrugged – pouted – and grabbed Jane's hand as they headed towards the main path that led to the restaurant by the lagoon.

"I might have other plans for tonight than fighting with a two-year-old over plastic dinosaurs that aren't suited for bedtime."

Jane smirked, not missing a bit of her wife's implicit allusion. "I don't know, Maur'. Actually I'm kind of tired myself. I guess I'll just crash in with the girls and watch the rerun of the game."

One, two, three.

Barely restraining her excitement, the Italian turned her head around to look at the honey blonde. Was it shock or distress that the mock of horror on Maura's face illustrated? Hard to tell.

Jane rolled her eyes and giggled. "It was a joke." Sometimes, her wife's incapacity to not be literal did turn to be a great source of entertainment. The brunette would never get tired of it.

"It'd better be." Cold tone, somehow snappy. Her lips pursed, Maura wrinkled her nose and scoffed. "Or else I sign you up for one of these sophrology morning classes."

Jane winked. "I can't. I have pottery." On these words, she let go of Maura's hand and ran after her daughters.

It wasn't good to keep harping on about the failure of her insemination. She had to focus on the time being, on Lucie and Alba who were there. Healthy and happy. Utterly happy. They were her life and she was really lucky.


	6. Two and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you all for the reviews! I am running late today so I will answer to them personally later.**_

**Chapter Six: Two and a Half Years Old**

"But if she was in California by the time her husband got killed, then that means..."

"Detective Rizzoli-Isles?" A feminine – full of self-confidence – voice rose in Jane's back, putting an end to the random thoughts she was sharing with Frost.

The Italian turned around and came to face a tall – blond – woman holding a couple of files.

"Yes?" Sideglance to Frost who discreetly shrugged, obviously not knowing anything regarding the woman standing in the room.

"Emily Banks, FBI."

Ugh. Barely repressing a sigh of annoyance, Jane forced a smile and shook her interlocutor's hand. She knew that the Bureau had decided to join in for the delicate case she was working on but she hadn't assumed that a woman would show up. And she hated this.

Female federal agents were the worst.

"Welcome here." Complete lack of enthusiasm, soon repeated by Frost himself. But Emily Banks did not seem to care much and dropped the files she had been holding on the nearest desk: Jane's.

"I hope you didn't have anything scheduled for the next hours because it seems like we have a lot of work to catch back on. Lieutenant Cavanaugh told me that I could count on you for the latest infos."

Jane grimaced. Bad timing. Very, very bad timing. She was supposed to visit her daughters' French school at 6pm. She wouldn't be able to stay. Casting a thousandth glance at Frost, she shrugged and cleared her voice nervously; twisting her hands. It was true. Her schedule had slightly changed now that she was a mother. She wasn't as eager to stay late at night at work as she used to.

Not all the time.

She still lived for her job – for her passion – and could not even imagine to step down but a part of her had now other priorities as well. Besides, Maura would kill her if she didn't attend the meeting.

_You're so whipped, Riz'. So, so whipped._

"Actually, I'm afraid I won't be able to stay here that long... My daughters are waiting for me and..."

"Oh! You have daughters? I would have never thought that someone as fit as you had ever had any." Emily smiled brightly, suddenly using a warmer tone.

Unless she was flirting? Jane frowned, confused. Not really helped by Frost's stifled giggles as the young man turned around and pretended to go pick something on his own desk.

"I err... Well, I..." _You're stuttering? Really? Now of all times? In front of a feebie? Now this is sad, Rizzoli. Really, really sad. _"I do. Twins, as a matter of fact. They are two and a half years old. I am supposed to go visit the French school we'll sign them in next year." Pause. _Way better. _"Big stuff!" _Now the giggle could have been optional, you know._

"_Our_ daughters." Cold tone of voice, snappy at its best.

Red alert: activated.

Her lips pursed, Maura squinted her eyes at Emily Banks before casting a very brief – yet quite mad – glance at Jane.

"Detective Rizzoli-Isles and I are married." Pause, just to leave the words sink in; the silence barely troubled by Frost's stifled laugh in the background. "I am Dr. Maura Isles-Rizzoli, the chief medical examiner. Whom do I have the pleasure to speak to, about my daughters?"

_Oh God... She's gonna kill her. _Asking Frost to stop his giggling – as discreetly as possible – Jane took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair.

If Maura tended to have a quiet – wise – temper, she could also be extremely jealous. For nothing at all. Jane had never understood her wife's reaction, why she felt threatened – at times – when people came closer to her. She had never showed signs of interest towards others. Not even teasing. It was impossible to her. The truth was that since she had kissed the honey blonde for the first time, all the rest had disappeared to the point that she barely saw the other ones.

It was all blurry, fuzzy.

Not really troubled by the obvious cold tone Maura was using, the woman smiled brightly. "Emily Banks, FBI. Nice to meet you, Dr. Isles..."

"Isles-Rizzoli. A pleasure... Are you here for the Sanchez Case? If so it seems like we are going to spend a lot of time together as the medical part is kind of heavy to say the least." Another glance at Jane who didn't dare to say anything, knowing better than to do so. "Sadly not after 5pm. It is rather exceptional – we usually leave the building later – but Lucie and Alba would be sad if we happened to not take them to their future school. Especially Lucie. Right, Jane?"

"Yes, yes." Timid tone of voice. The brunette looked down at her desk and tried to ignore the fact Korsak had now joined Frost in the stifled laughter show. She knew that she couldn't tell Maura to calm down, to stop being so defensive. It would only unleash the fury the honey blonde could be.

"I mean we both know how Lucie keeps on carrying her backpack, eager as she is to finally go school. You should see her, Agent Banks." Snap of the head towards Frost and Korsak who stopped right away to laugh and straightened up immediately. "Well, I would love talking about my children for the rest of the day but we have other priorities right now. Here's the lab result of your John Doe, Detective Frost. Sadly, nothing relevant showed up. Death by strangulation."

With a last smile – cold as ever – towards Emily Banks, Maura dropped the file on Jane's desk and turned around; the sound of her heels loud on the floor, betraying her slight annoyance.

...

"No, honey. You can't take your dinosaurs to school. But I'm sure they have plenty of them already. Alba! Leave Coco Loco alone! He's not a Barbie!" Running after Lucie who had decided to be as brave as her sister – awesome timing – Jane shook her head at Alba while passing by her.

They were running late. The traffic had been dense. Good thing the French school was only three blocks away from their house.

"Your mother is right, Alba. Coco Loco is a cat. You can't pull on his tail as you pull on your dolls' hair. It is painful, to him."

Adjusting her jacket, Maura cast a last glance at her reflection in the mirror and tried a smile of self encouragement. She was nervous. _They_ were nervous. Jane had insisted to wear a dress just to fit in better and not look too sloppy.

Their apprehension had no reason to be, not really. Everything had always gone smoothly at the daycare so why would it be different at school?

Biting her lower lip, Maura turned around and looked at her wife running after a very fast Lucie. _It will always be like that, right? This feeling deep inside, the fear of people's gaze towards you and the twins. You will always fear people's reaction, won't you? _

They hadn't talked about it but Maura knew that Jane was feeling alike; therefore her efforts to look as perfect as she could. The issue was not strangers' gaze on them but the fact the twins might suffer from it, one way or another.

What if it happened? What if – one day – one of them had to face some cruel comment or worse? Lucie and Alba hadn't asked for anything.

"Lucie!" The little girl stopped right in her tracks and looked at Maura with her big hazel eyes. "Put this tyrannosaurus down. Dinosaurs don't go to little girls' school. They have their own one. Sort of. And stop making your mother run around like that." One down, one to go. "Alba!" Immediately, the toddler let go of Coco Loco and didn't touch Jo Friday as the dog passed by. "Good. Now you come here to put your jackets on."

Relieved – yet jealous of Maura's natural authority – Jane grabbed the twins' hand and took them to the door where the honey blonde was waiting, holding two tweed jackets.

"You're gonna make plenty of friends at school! Aren't you lucky?" The Italian winked at the twins and smiled at Maura.

"Like you?" Suddenly intrigued, Alba raised an eyebrow at her mother and put her jacket on.

Jane nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes! And mommy too. Actually, she already made a new friend at work, today. Her name's Emily Banks. She adores her!"

Maura rolled her eyes at the allusion – shook her head – and sighed heavily before snapping gently her wife's shoulder. "Very funny." Dry tone.

"Is she a princess?" Lucie seemed confused, almost scared. She had a hard time when someone had to come between her mothers; even their friends. She liked them together with nobody else between them.

Squatting down to button up her daughter's jacket, Maura shook her head and pursed her lips. "No. She is a witch."

Gasp. The twins exchanged a terrified glance.

"Oh, Maura... Really?" Jane snorted in disbelief but – amused – decided to lean over for a kiss on the honey blonde's cheek. "You have it wrong. The word you are looking for starts with a "b", not with a "w"..."

Alba blinked. "A bitch? What is it?"

Uh oh.


	7. Three Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews (I promise to think about a potential pregnancy for Jane).**_

**Chapter Seven: Three Years Old**

"How old are you?"

"Trois ans."*

Constance raised an eyebrow appreciatively then cast a glance at Jane who had just joined them in the lobby of the BPD.

Since the twins' birth, Maura's mother had made a point to come to Boston as often as her agenda allowed her to and every time she insisted on spending a day alone with both girls. A well needed extra help for Jane and Maura when Cailin couldn't babysit them on weekends.

"Excellent, jeune fille."*

Proud, Lucie lifted her chin and nodded; satisfied. "Je sais."*

Back from the bathroom with Maura, Alba went to kiss her grandmother on the cheek and adjusted her backpack on her shoulders. They had started school a few months ago only but the scientist had to recognize that they had already won in autonomy and language. In French and in English.

A bit too much, perhaps. Lucie and Alba were supposed to be her babies.

"Bonjour, Alba. How are you, today?" Curiously, Constance seemed rather at ease with the twins as if she had finally found balance in the concept of parenthood.

She had missed it out with Maura at the time. Way too much. Her regrets wouldn't disappear but at least now she could make it different with her granddaughters.

"My mommies make love!" Alba yelled in the lobby – proudly – making everyone turn around and Jane die of shame while Maura froze.

Constance laughed, slightly taken aback by the statement. "Of course, they do. This is what adults do when they are in love."

The twins giggled, covering their mouth with their tiny hands. Lucie nodded as if to confirm what her sister had just said. "That's when they close the door."

Jane coughed to put an end to the conversation, hoping – in vain – that her colleagues who were in the lobby wouldn't overhear her daughters' confessions too much either. How had they come to this kind of conclusion? As far as she knew, she had never talked about it to Lucie and Alba. Maura? A glance at the honey blonde resulted enough to let her understand that the medical examiner had not said anything either to the twins.

As a matter of fact, they hadn't really alluded to it at all yet; barely a mention of the conception of a baby through a couple of books they had bought. But then Maura had lost herself in medical terms – as expected – and the girls' interest had suddenly decreased.

"They are like Princess Nina. They... They love a princess, not a prince."

Jane smiled. She wasn't particularly fond of Alba's fascination for princesses – and everything pink – but at least the story of _The Princess Who Loved Princesses_ seemed to come in handy to explain – somehow – their situation. As much as Maura found the book utterly caricatural.

"Now this is very interesting!" Constance grinned at her granddaughters then winked at Jane before focusing back on Alba. "Are you fine with it?"

The little girl shrugged, nodded. "Of course! They're my mommies."

"_Our_ mommies. And they're sweet." Lucie completed her sister's statement. "But not always." She cast a glance at Alba and shrugged, somewhat defeated.

"Yes." Alba pouted and sighed rather dramatically. "At times they don't want us to eat ice-cream."

...

Realizing that she was still carrying her gun, Jane buttoned her jacket – swore against herself for the mishap – and stepped into the school. She was late – Maura was stuck at work – and the only thing she hoped was that the twins' teacher wouldn't address her in French.

_It's just the regular parent-teacher meeting. No need to freak out, Riz'. Everything's fine, the girls – your daughters – haven't done anything wrong._

Anxious, the brunette looked down at her hands and wondered if they smelled of latex. Her day had been long, spent mostly on a crime scene and at the morgue. Did she smell of death? Discreetly, she sniffed her clothes and sighed; relieved. No sign whatsoever of what she had had to deal with.

The classroom was at the end of the corridor, behind a purple door with the drawing of a butterfly on it. Welcoming enough. Usually. For some reason, the context made Jane utterly nervous.

What if something was wrong? What is the teacher told her that one of the twins had an issue? They seemed to do okay at home but then the Italian wasn't a specialist. She was their mother. For her, it was clear that she was raising the brightest little girls of the whole universe.

She knocked on the door and took a deep breath as a warm voice told her to come in.

"Hello, Jane. How are you?" Berenice was a twenty-seven-year-old woman, all smile and sweet. A bit too much maybe for the brunette who wondered how she could deal with twenty-five toddlers – full of energy – all day long.

"I'm fine, thank you." Jane sat down on the chair the teacher was motioning then forced a smile. It was not something she wanted to face alone but sadly, Maura had no other choice but to stay at her office for a large part of the night.

"So... Lucie and Alba! Bright little girls, so full of life!"

Nod. Wait. Did that mean they were hyperactive? She didn't want to knock them out with Ritalin – no way – she had read about it in the last publication of that parental magazine Maura had decided to subscribe to this year and now her opinion was clear on the matter.

"Yes, they are. It's... Err... It's not easy every day – twins are twins! - but they really brighten Maura and I's life."

Berenice nodded. "And I'm sure it's well needed considering the kind of job you have."

Touché. At times, Jane felt guilty. The homicide unit was not a healthy environment for children. Of course, she didn't take them very often to the BPD but they heard things – bits of conversation – and Maura's job didn't balance the whole thing either. On the contrary. It was singular to say the least.

"Indeed. Although we really try to keep them away from all of this. They know what we do but we remain quite vague on it. It's not easy to explain to them. Not suitable."

Nod. "Children can understand, you know. This isn't a problem. On the contrary... It's better to try to explain to them things – with words they can understand – than to remain silent over it. But I'm sure you do a great job with it. They seem to do just fine and are perfectly healthy little girls."

_See? You are raising geniuses. Reminder: on your way back home, stop by to buy champagne. This deserves a little celebration, Riz'._

"I know that you and Maura wanted them to be in separate classes – to make sure they learn how to take distance from each other – and we really apologize for not being able to do that this year. But if that can reassure you, they have absolutely no issue in going towards others. Especially Lucie, she's very good at socializing with her classmates. Alba is more timid."

Jane raised a surprised eyebrow. Berenice must have been mistaking one for the other. "You mean... Lucie is more timid."

"No! Every time there is an activity and I let them choose their partner, she goes very easily with others; even during their free time. Alba follows her or waits for others to come to her. Don't worry, I'm not saying she lacks self-confidence or anything! She doesn't. It's just a matter of temper."

The confession took the Italian completely aback. It was the exact opposite at home. Alba was the leader, she had always been one. Lucie followed her. Unless the dynamism had changed? She'd had failed to notice it, then.

"Oh. Now that's... A surprise. I mean I know Lucie talks to us a lot about a little girl named Salome – whose parents are very nice – but... Oh."

That was it. She had missed it completely. _What kind of mother are you? Seriously! _Uncomfortable, Jane moved on her seat and desperately tried to find something to add. In vain.

Her reaction made Berenice laugh. "It's quite frequent to see a change of dynamism for twins when they are out of their comfort zone, outside of their familiar environment. Alba seems to appreciate a lot the presence of Mao who is a sweet little girl. Ask your daughter about her, tonight. Perhaps she doesn't dare to talk about her much because she knows it's about her and Lucie. Subconsciously, she feels the weight of the whole twin entity."

Jane nodded. The twins had been to daycare before. They had been socializing with others since the very beginning. Yet it was the first time that someone told her that about Alba. Was the change to a real school too big for the little girl that she had suddenly succumbed to timidity?

The words burning her lips, she shrugged and let them come out. "But she's... She's living it all ok, right? I mean she never cried so far and seems eager to go to school on Monday morning."

"Oh yes! She's a bright student, besides. She isn't sad at all, just a bit more timid. But she's certainly not left in a corner either. And she likes taking part in activities."

Jane nodded. Reassured.

Somehow.

..

*"Three years old."

*"Excellent, young girl."

*"I know."


	8. Three and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for the reviews!**_

**Chapter Eight: Three and a Half Years Old**

Jane passed the door of the house and tripped over a plastic dinosaur. Swearing between clenched teeth, she grabbed the culprit and threw it in her bag only to trip over a Barbie car.

"The hell..." Unsure of what the next obstacle would be, she finally looked up and scanned the main room only to gasp in horror. Toys had been left haphazardly on the ground all over, turning it into a real minefield for bare feet. How come? Maura had spent the afternoon at home. She wouldn't have let something like this happen. As much as she had given up on the idea of a neat house, her limits – quite fragile – were still floating around. "Maur'?"

"Good evening." A quiet voice rose from the couch. A very focused one. Or just distant?

Confused, Jane stepped into the living-room and spotted Maura a cocktail in hand; eyes closed as if she were enjoying a brand new quietness. Because yes – now Jane could say it – the house was very quiet. Way too much.

"Where are they?"

Eyes opened. Pursed lips. Annoyance level: maximum reached. "Upstairs with your mother. She is giving them a bath."

Jane made a face. The distance Maura seemed to take regarding the situation was not good at all. It must have been one hell of an afternoon. A hurricane, that was what the twins were. None of them was eager to obey them anymore. Exit the nice – sweet – little girls. They had turned into monsters.

"Have you managed to... Work on the Piper Case?" _Wrong question, Riz'. _Too late, though. As Jane came to face Maura's icy stare, she instinctively made a step backwards and ran a hand through her hair giggling away her nervousness. "Never mind." Pause. "Would you like another Mimosa?"

The honey blonde shook her head. "Bring the bottle of vodka. I will drink it dry."

Jane planted a soft kiss on her wife's lips – smiled at the comment – and headed to the kitchen only to see a set of handprints on the wall. Green ones. Obviously, Maura was not about to give it a new try to a painting workshop with Lucie and Alba. She grabbed a bottle of beer – poured wine into a large glass – and went to sit on the couch to settle against the scientist.

"I am taking all this as a sign they both feel better." The Italian motioned at the room with her head and took a sip of her drink.

Maura nodded. "I know that it is atrocious but I almost regret the few days when they were too sick to move out of bed."

A rather harmless virus had kept both girls in bed – forcing Jane and Maura to adapt their schedule – but the twins' lack of energy had obviously not lasted for very long.

"Do you think it'll work if we threaten them of throwing away their toys if they don't tidy up?" The brunette frowned, pondering her own words. There was nothing less sure. Kids – these days – didn't seem to fear anything at all. Not a single word their parents could tell them.

"Lucie will tell you that it is all fine as she wants the latest astronomy kit for children and that their current toys are out of date. Which reminds me that Alba wants a princess dress; all glitter and pink. This princess phase is starting to last a bit too long."

Jane widened her eyes in horror and drowned her slight sorrow in another sip of beer. "What have we done wrong, exactly? I don't get it." She wasn't sure what the worst was: Lucie's repartee – if it was not just insolence - or Alba's obsession for anything that was pink.

"I guess I have never been so glad to spend the day at the court, tomorrow. I don't care anymore if it makes of me a bad mother, Jane, but I need a time off."

A pale – guilty – smile played on the detective's lips. The time they had thought they could assume everything was long gone. They were not some sort of 'super moms'. They made mistakes – gave up at times – and dared to put the girls in front of a cartoon to have a two-hour break for themselves when it really turned bad.

If there was one thing they had learned about parenthood, it was that theory had very little to do – if not just nothing – with practice.

As if he was himself enjoying the too rare quietness, Coco Loco jumped on Jane's lap and settled to sleep; not bothered by the fact the brunette turned around to take her wife in her arms. A tired smile lit up Maura's features. A delicate shade of red rushed up her cheeks as untold ideas made it quietly to her mind and she bent over to trace a path of kisses on Jane's neck.

The gesture – somewhat bold – elicited giggles from the Italian but soon quiet sighs replaced them as she abandoned herself to the suggestive caresses of Maura's hands on her chest.

"Do you remember the last time we did it somewhere else than in our bedroom?" Jane's voice died in a moan. She bit her lower lip and arched her back, asking implicitly for more.

"Probably three and a half years ago or so..." Pause, just the time to unbutton her wife's blouse and brush of her lips the suntanned skin there. "An eternity."

"She is back!" A high-pitched voice – excited at the most – put an abrupt end to the sweet moment and heavy little steps ran down the stairs echoing shrieks of joy.

Lucie and Alba threw themselves in Jane's arms – not really bothered by the fact her blouse wasn't buttoned up properly – and covered her in kisses. At least they loved cuddling. It balanced – more or less – their tendency to be messy.

"Yes I am and what do I see? Seriously, look around you! What did we say about toys in the house? Hmm?"

Alba sat properly on the couch and approached Maura's glass of wine to sniff it. She made a face of disgust – shook her head – then grabbed a small blanked abandoned at her feet. "That they have to stay in our rooms."

"Then why are they here, all around?"

Shrug. "Why not."

Lucie giggled and clapped her hands as Angela came downstairs, way too fresh and enthusiastic to Jane's taste. And dry. How come the twins never splashed water on her mother? They always did – always – with her and Maura.

"Jane, your house is a mess. Don't you think the least you could do is o tidy up a little? What an example for your daughters!"

Silence. The brunette blinked, unsure she had heard her mother properly. "What?! I just arrived... For your information, I spent the whole day working. You don't know what these two are capable of obviously!"

Angela snorted – shrugged – and motioned at the kitchen so the twins would follow her to help and prepare dinner. "And this is why I was a housewife. At least I could keep my house tidy and clean... Don't you think you and your brothers weren't tornadoes?"

"Are you insinuating that I should quit and be a stay-at-home mom?"

Maura smiled to nobody but herself, almost apologetically. A confrontation between Jane and her mother was the last thing she felt like witnessing tonight. She was exhausted – had papers to check before the trial tomorrow – and wanted nothing but peace. Just peace.

For two hours or so.

"Come to your own conclusions, Janie. That's all what I'm saying..."

Baffled, Jane turned her back at the matriarch and massaged her temples. Maura settled back in her arms, the contact soothing her immediately. She closed her eyes and tried to relax but it did not last long. "Lucie! Alba! If your toys are still here in five minutes when I open back my eyes, you are in deep trouble."

Silence. Stifled voices, Angela telling the girls to go and tidy up the mess they had left behind.

What was it that the twins listened to everyone but their very own mothers? _Let it go. Just let it go, Jane. It will be better for everyone like that._

"Do you prefer gnocci or lasagnas, Janie?" As if nothing had happened, Angela casually asked the question and waited for an answer. For some reason, it made the detective cringe.

Yet happily. Coming back home to her mother's dishes was not such a bad way to finish the day. On the contrary.

"Mom?" Timid voice, little steps making their way to the couch.

Raising an eyebrow, Jane hummed a 'yes'. Maura had completely given up. She had had her dose for the day. "What is it, Lucie?"

"Can I..."

"May. May I, honey."

Alright. Maura hadn't given up completely. Not yet. But she was close to it. Her intervention made Jane smile. Lucie corrected herself. Obviously whatever she had in mind was too important for her to miss her chance to have full access to it.

"May I look at the stars after dinner?"

Jane blinked – trying to analyze her daughter's question – before smirking. "Star gazing? You want to go star gazing?"

Nod.

Trying to repress a smile, the Italian pouted and pondered the question. "We will think about it."

"I will need the star kit though."

And here they were. Maura moaned – closed her eyes – and rested a hand on her forehead to soothe her upcoming headache.

Jane snapped back. "No, Lucie. You only need your eyes for that."

The little girl clenched her fists - frowned, pursed her lips - and turned all red. Fit of anger in three, two, one...


	9. Four Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews and I apologize for the delay today...**_

**Chapter Nine: Four Years Old**

"Are you ready?" Sultry voice, echoing a very suggestive gaze.

Jane laughed and passed her arms around Maura's neck as the honey blonde pushed her backwards and she fell on the bed, straddled by her wife. She let her fingers travel down the scientist's back – tracing invisible symbols on the warm skin – before reaching her thighs. The bath towel landed on the floor in a quiet sigh and soon enough their laughter vanished in a kiss.

Nobody to interrupt them. No phone ringing, no children bursting in.

Just the quietness of Tuscany and the warm temperatures that embraced their bodies bewitchingly as they enjoyed a break far from everything.

It was the first time that they went on vacation without the twins. The first time they didn't have to think about finding activities that would please four-year-old little girls. They could spend the day – the whole day – in the swimming-pool of the villa and drink wine without fearing anyone to walk in on them at any moment.

Or just give into more adult activities like now.

Sure they had felt guilty at the beginning when Constance had suggested them to leave for a week – or even two – without Lucie and Alba but the truth was that they had reached a limit and needed a time out, away from their daughters.

The worst of all was that the girls hadn't cared much about it when they had broken the news or left for the airport, too busy as they had been playing with TJ or simply leading their life: far from their mothers.

"Aren't we supposed to go to the restaurant?" Jane's hoarse voice resounded low, sultry. She bit her lips as Maura's hands wander between her legs and closed her eyes. "Never mind..."

"No. You are right." The honey blonde sat back up – grabbed a bottle of water on the bedside table – and took a sip of it before walking to the armchair on which she had abandoned her clothes.

"What?!" Up on her elbows, Jane blinked at the scene – ran a hand through her hair – and tried to calm down the beats of her heart. "What has just happened, here? You gotta be kidding me."

Bra on. Shrug. "No. You are right. We are going to be late. Come on, hurry up!"

This had to be a joke. "Do you even realize what you just did to me?" Jane scoffed and crossed her arms against her chest before pouting.

The gesture made Maura laugh lightly. Shaking her head in disbelief, the medical examiner threw a pair of shorts on the bed for Jane to put them on. "You know, at times it is hard to think that you are not Lucie and Alba's biological mother because they surely have the same reactions as you do."

"You teased me!" Offended but hungry, Jane reluctantly grabbed the piece of clothing – took off her bath towel – and got dressed.

"We barely had fifteen seconds of foreplay. Don't be such a child!" Dress: zipped up. Quick glance at the mirror, pout. She definitely needed to reapply makeup now, though.

"Well, fifteen very effective seconds!" _Next time make sure to stop her before she starts anything at the wrong time. _

Mumbling inaudible words between her teeth, the Italian finally left the bed – made a face at Maura – and walked to the bathroom.

She couldn't really complain. They had hardly left the house since they had arrived to the point she was starting to wonder if they didn't have an issue. Life in Boston was not as quiet as it used to be – raising twins wasn't easy – but still... They managed to have a minimum of intimacy. Yet here in Italy, they went unleashed. Literally unleashed.

Slightly blushing at the thought, Jane grabbed Maura's body lotion and applied some on her arms. It was an annoying gesture – she didn't even feel the urge to do so for healthy reasons – but it was all about the smell that reminded her of Maura.

She had the feeling to carry a bit of the honey blonde under her skin. Shamefully enough perhaps as it sounded rather cheesy.

"Oh my God... Jane!"

Maura's scream made her freeze. What was going on? Not losing a second, Jane ran to the bedroom only to find her wife on the floor. The blonde was sitting Indian style, the contents of her bag spread around her.

"Has your Hermès exploded?"

Attempt to a joke: failed. A very desperate Maura looked up – asking Jane implicitly to be serious – as she waved a couple of plastic dinosaurs.

"I left with half of Lucie's prehistorical figurines..." Pause, a very anxious one. "I am a monster. Our daughter has to compose without her favorite dinosaurs."

Jane swallowed hard. Under other circumstances, she would have laughed it away but it was Lucie they were talking about. The dinosaur freak. "We had her on the phone, she seemed to be doing ok." _Yes. Valid point, Riz'. Damn you're good. _Good but not relieved the slightest bit. After all, Lucie had been busy with Constance and Angela but what would happen when she noticed the absence of the dinosaurs? "Oh my God. You even took Marge, the heterodontosauridae! It's her favorite!" Pause. "Always taking the hetero away, Dr. Isles!"

Maura's happiness before Jane's capacity to actually remember the name of the dinosaur didn't last long enough as the second part of her wife's comment hit her hard. "Is this your way to support me in all this? Really?"

Shocked, Jane shrugged – raised her hands up in the air to apologize – and carefully sat down next to Maura. The situation was ridiculous – she knew it – but it could also ruin their vacations. _Come on, think! Use your little brain, Rizzoli!_

"FedEx. We need to send them back to Boston. Right now." Maura gathered the dozen of figurines – grabbed a plastic bag – and put them in it. "And maybe call Lucie to reassure her."

Jane moaned. Needless to say, their daughters really owned them. What kind of parents were scared of their children's reactions? It was wrong and her mother was right on that. They needed to work it out. One way or another. They didn't lack authority. The girls just knew how to get the best from them.

Sadly.

"Are you sure? I mean... Can't it wait a little?" Biting her thumb, Jane made a face and looked down at the plastic bag rather unconvinced. She wasn't sure that facing an upcoming meltdown was such a good idea previous to a dinner. But Maura sighed heavily, not in the mood for what-ifs. "Alright, let me find back my phone."

"Laptop. I guess this requires a Skype session."

Reluctantly, Jane nodded and turned on her computer. So much to be on time at the restaurant and now being delayed not because of sex but because of freaking dinosaurs. Really. "Send a message... I don't know, either to your mom or mine to warn them."

"You are topless, Jane. It might be wise for you to put on a shirt or something."

The brunette blushed – left the computer to Maura – and went to grab a top in the bag she had not taken time to unpack properly. What for? She would have to put it all back in within a few days anyway.

"Good morning, sweethearts!" If it weren't for the honey blonde's voice to shake a little, it would have been a very warm greeting.

Jane smiled – subconsciously – as she heard her daughters' voices squeeze back in delight. No cries. Perhaps Lucie hadn't noticed anything. But then if so, was it really wise to let her know?

"Lucie, honey... Jane and I have something to tell you..."

Too late. Jane made a face but nonetheless approached the screen. For moral support. After all, she was not guilty. Not this time. _Shame on you, Riz'._

"I just realized that... Err... I might have taken – by accident – a few of your dinosaurs with me."

Silence.

"But they're doing fine, Lulu Belle!" Jane forced a smile – a shy laugh – as she witnessed her dear daughter's face turn blank. What had they done? Maura was right. They were monsters.

"So they are in Italy?"

The question took them aback. They had certainly not expected something like that. Clearing her voice, Jane shrugged at the screen and felt her heart tighten as she locked her eyes with Lucie's worried ones. As if sensing the importance of the moment, Alba was surprisingly calm.

"Yes, honey. We are sorry."

New silence. This couldn't be good. In the background, Angela and Constance didn't seem to realize the importance of the moment. Not at all. They kept on smiling peacefully as if nothing was about to happen.

"Oh." Lucie paused – blinked – and took a deep breath. "But they don't eat pasta!" And meltdown. Yet not for her dinosaurs being far away but for a matter of diet and nothing else.

Absolutely nothing else.

Dinosaurs 1 – 0 Jane and Maura


	10. Four and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for the reviews; to the anonymous reviewer: toddlers tend to test their parents a lot, that doesn't make of them brats, it's a normal phase in their development (annoying but classic) and it is the parents' role to control it and establish rules by then.**_

**Chapter Ten: Four and a Half Years Old**

Maura put the phone down – still taken aback by the conversation she had just had – and turned around to face the stairs. The house was quiet. Jane had taken Lucie to the swimming-pool for the rest of the morning while Alba was peacefully playing in her bedroom. Since they had come back from Tuscany a few months earlier, things had changed. The twins finally started listening to them and there was a lot less stress. They still tested them but then what kind of four-year-old didn't?

It was a classic phase and retrospectively, Jane and Maura were slowly realizing that they were not doing as bad as what they had thought in the first place.

Not really knowing what to do – where to start – Maura took the stairs up to the first floor, walked to her daughter's bedroom door. Alba was sitting on the floor, focused on a jigsaw puzzle. She had really calmed down and could now remain concentrated on the same activity for a long time. Lucie as well; or at least when it didn't come to dinosaurs. The Italy incident had troubled her to the point she had made sure every day of their stay in Europe that her figurines were doing well.

The problem hadn't been the distance but the fear something might happen to them.

"What organ are you looking for?" Maura sat down next to her daughter and cast a glance at what the little girl had assembled so far. The jigsaw puzzle represented the human body. It was Jane who had found it one day at a bookstore in Cambridge. Maura loved it.

"The heart..." But soon, Alba found it and put in place the very last piece before smiling brightly at her mother; proud. "Done!"

Maura planted a kiss on top of the little girl's head to congratulate her and took a deep breath as she spotted a couple of books they had borrowed at the library the day before. She frowned, unsure.

"Alba, honey... Could you give me the book about the dentist vampire, please?"

Her daughter nodded and went to pick it up. Maura bit her lower lip as she grabbed the book Alba held out to her. She waited for a few seconds before talking again; the conversation she had had on the phone previously coming back to her mind with a cruel realism.

"How did you get to know that this book was the one about the vampire? The cover doesn't really illustrate the story. Same for the other book... And you don't know them by heart. These are new ones for you."

She had tried to sound sweet and casual. Scaring her daughter would have been the worst thing to do. As if she had been caught doing something wrong, Alba shrugged and looked down at her lap.

"I guessed..."

Pause. Maura pouted. Perhaps she should have waited for Jane to come back home and they would have taken a decision together regarding the situation. But then she hadn't felt the urge to wait. Not for that.

"Your teacher has just called. She told me that you could read. Is it true?"

Alba blushed – pursed her lips – and shook her head vehemently with the same stubborness as the one Jane showed when annoyed. "No."

"Honey, it is great if you can. You should be proud of yourself. Why do you hide it from us?"

Alba's lower lip began to tremble as she looked up at her mother and swallowed back a wave of tears. "Because I don't want you and mommy to stop reading bedtime stories to me."

Maura blinked. She hadn't thought about that at all. Laughing lightly, she grabbed her daughter and took her in her arms for a long hug. "We won't stop it, there is no reason for you to be worried."

"Really?" Little voice, full of uncertainty.

"Yes! Jane and I love reading you and your sister bedtime stories. It is a nice moment we really like sharing with the two of you."

Alba seemed to hesitate before a smile of relief finally lit up her features. "I kind of like it when you do the pirate voice."

Maura blushed. "I guess Jane is a lot better than I am at it but thank you nonetheless."

"I don't want to grow up." Alba's smile faded away immediately, replaced by a frown. One by one, she took the pieces of her jigsaw puzzle off and put them back into the box.

"Why? We all grow up. It is how life works." Maura shook her head. She was confused. All her life she had wanted nothing but to be older. There was something appealing in the idea of wisdom. She highly liked it.

Alba shrugged and locked her big hazel eyes in her mother's with all the seriousness a little girl of four and a half years old could have. "Because I like it now."

...

Now that she thought about it, Jane had never seen her daughters so timid; and Maura so anxious although to be completely honest, she wasn't doing any better herself. Casting a nervous glance at the man sitting at a table of the Division One Cafe, she bit her lower lip and wondered once again – more or less fairly – if what they were about to do was right.

Holding firmly her daughters' hand, she approached the table and smiled – nervously – at someone she hadn't seen nor heard about in years. "Lucie... Alba... This is... Your grandfather. Dad..."

Frank Senior looked down at the little girls and blinked. He seemed intimidated. "They really look like you, Maura."

The honey blonde smiled – nodded – and rolled her eyes. "They have Jane's temper, though. Sadly." Snap on her shoulder. "Ouch!"

"They do?" Frank Senior laughed out loud. "They don't seem to have stitches nor bruises though! Janie had some all the time. She was a tornado." The man stood up and accepted the hand that Alba held out to him. Amused, he shook it and repeated the gesture with Lucie. "Nice to meet you, girls."

"Where were you?"

Lucie's question made Jane's heart tighten. She had never talked about her father to the twins and it was a mistake. She was now realizing it. He was part of the family, no matter what.

"In Florida. I was sick, that's why I couldn't come to Boston earlier."

Satisfied of the answer, Lucie nodded – looked at Alba – and pouted; obviously unsure of what she was supposed to do next.

"Do you want an orange juice? Mom always gives me one when I'm sick."

Alba's comment made Frank Senior laugh again. He shook his head and motioned at the chairs. "No thank you. I am doing fine, now. I'm not sick anymore. How about you both sit down and we share chocolate cake together?"

The twins obliged and smiled at him. In theory, Jane had promised her father that she would leave him alone with them but now she wasn't sure. Not that she didn't trust him but the girls didn't know him much. If not at all. Perhaps they preferred her to stay around.

But Maura put an end to her doubts. As usual. The blonde had a lot more strength than her. She just showed it differently, with subtlety. "Is it alright if we leave you alone with your grandfather for an hour? Grandma is here anyway and you know the place, don't you? I will be in my office and Jane will be upstairs."

Lucie nodded. "You're going to work?" She turned to Frank Senior and rolled her eyes dramatically. "They alwaaaaaays work!"

Jane repressed a moan of frustration. She would have recognized this tone of voice anywhere. That came from her mother. It was official: her daughter had now adopted her own mother's expressions. That couldn't be good, could it?

"Ah but we all need to work, you know. They're doing a great job and I'm sure they're here when you need them." Frank Senior winked at the twins and nodded at Jane and Maura. It would go just fine. They were in a well-known environment and the little girls seemed to not be apprehensive at all. Probably because they had noticed how their own mothers were fine with it. Their timidity had now vanished away.

"What's your job?" Alba raised an eyebrow at her grandfather and crossed her arms with a lot of seriousness.

"I was a plumber but since I got sick, I had to stop. What kind of job would you like to do?"

Alba pouted, pondering the question. Nobody had ever asked her about it so far. "Ice-cream maker. So I can eat as much ice-cream as I want."

"Of course. And then be sick. Very wise choice, young girl." Maura rolled her eyes – kissed her two daughters goodbye – and left after smiling politely at Frank Senior.

Needless to say she would send Angela text messages every thirty seconds to make sure that everything at the Division One Cafe – from the twins to the type of cake they would eat – would go just fine.

"How about you, Lucie?"

Determined – as if she had already asked herself the question – the little girl lifted her chin up. "I want to work with dinosaurs. But since they're all dead and it's not funny to work with bones then I'll just draw dinosaurs."


	11. Five Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for the reviews; since a question was raised and in spite of the fact I was thinking about coming back on it in a later chapter, here comes an explanation: the twins receive – from Maura – a francophile education. Maura herself received one and as someone who belongs to the upper social class, it is common – once the children go to school – to call the other parent by his/her name in front of them in France.**_

_**To the guest who made the allusion to the other characters: the point of view is always Maura's or Jane's but they don't live in autarky with their daughters either, their life and persona are built according to their interactions with others therefore their presence; but in many chapters/parts (Alba can read, Italy, the morgue, the broken arm etc), they're also alone with the twins. **_

**Chapter Eleven: Five Years Old**

"Yes!" Jane smiled at Korsak – clenched her fist – and put down a pen on her desk. She couldn't have asked for a better timing. Their main suspect had finally given up and recognized that he had murdered the twenty-two-year-old student in Boston Common. The procedure was only starting – and it would be a long one – but she nonetheless called the case close.

Right on time for the twins' birthday.

"At what time are we supposed to be there again?" Frost sat at his desk and checked his watch. He hadn't assumed that they had spent such a large part of the afternoon in the interview room but the sky turning into a deep gray made it clear that the day was slowly vanishing away.

"6.30pm... I have the cake here – the presents are in the trunk – everything's read-..." And Jane froze suddenly as she imitated her colleague and sat at her own desk.

Frost didn't miss her face nor her sudden silence. He frowned. "What is it?"

Hands on her desk, the Italian swallowed hard and looked at the young detective rather blankly. "I think I have just sat on my daughters' birthday cake."

Silence. A long one. Then Frost burst out laughing. Very loudly. Holding his stomach – tears at the corner of his eyes – he shook his head at Jane who had finally stood up again to check the damage. Why had she put the cake on her chair? Why?

"This isn't funny, Frost. You don't realize this signs my demise. Not from Alba and Lucie but from Maura."

"Someone said my name?" Joyful tone of voice. A bright smile on her lips – it was not every day that her daughters turned five years old – the scientist stepped into the room and walked to Jane.

Red alert: activated. The brunette turned around immediately and sat up on her desk – casually or so considering the context – to hide the box from the pastry shop in her back while Frost and Korsak – not so discreetly – tried to hide their laughs from both women.

"Yes... I was just telling Laurel and Hardy over there that you – my wonderful wife – had really but really made an awesome job in birthday planning considering Lucie wanted a dinosaur party and of course Alba was more into princesses." Jane winced.

It hadn't hit her until she had had to face it but it was a source of latent conflict for the twins to share their birthday. And a lot of work. With school both little girls had made different friends and not wanting to be too restrictive for the party, Maura and Jane had accepted to invite a total of fifteen kids.

It would be a nightmare, Jane knew it.

"Oh, but this is for tomorrow and obviously..." Maura turned towards Frost and Korsak. It seemed like she was completely buying Jane's remark. "It is mostly a matter of compromise and adaptation. This is one of the first things you learn when raising twins."

_I love you to pieces, Maura, but please... Go away. Now. Just go, leave me alone to deal with what is left of the cake that looked so awesome. Let me handle this mess. Now._

But the brunette's lucky day being obviously scheduled for later, Maura turned around and stared at her rather insistently. "Jane, we need to talk." Without really waiting for a reply, the scientist went – rather determined – to stand near the coffee machine that for once hadn't turned into the trendy spot of the office.

"I haven't done anything..." Low voice. A murmur. Small wonder why it passed unnoticed. Pulling on her jacket, Jane nonetheless joined her wife a few feet away. So much for a so-called intimacy.

"Before you say anyhing, let me tell you that I made clear you were opposed to it because you had assumed that Alba was too young for it." As if to accompany her words, Maura was gesticulating a bit like the Italian she wasn't. The result would have been rather hilarious if Jane hadn't been scared of her wife finding out about the ruined cake. "But the lab team... They are scientists! They cannot help it..."

What the hell was she talking about? Confused, Jane shook her head and frowned before putting her hands on her hips. Bad idea. Maura interpreted the gesture rather wrongly.

"Please don't be mad and think about our daughters. It is their day... And technically our anniversary as well but you know what I mean... Alba will be so thrilled when she realizes my colleagues got... They bought her a microscope."

Maura made a face, twisted her hands. Shook her head.

"Oh." Jane blinked. She had – indeed – been against the idea, if only because Alba broke way too many things. Accidentally but still. "It's okay."

"Really?" A pale smile lit up Maura's features as a hopeful flame made her eyes shine. Apparently, she had been very conflicted by the situation.

"Yes." _Maur', I just sat and thus ruined our daughers' birthday cake so at this point, they'd ask me a one way ticket to Vegas that I'd probably say yes. _"Maybe she will learn how to take care of things, this way."

Obviously relieved, the medical examiner rolled her eyes – brought a hand to her heart – then took her wife in her arms for a rare moment of affection in public. A very short one though. She knew it was not the place for it. Adjusting back her skirt, she nodded and began to leave towards the exit.

On the opposite way to Jane's desk.

_Okay, maybe this is your lucky day, Riz'. _A smile was already curling up Jane's lips when Maura's voice stopped her. _Or maybe not._

"By the way, have you picked up the cake at the pastry shop?"

Uh oh.

"Yeah. Actually I have." Jane had started working later and had stopped by the damn shop on her way to the BPD around 2pm. She had looked in awe at the cake – admired it as if it were a piece of art – and then the tragedy.

"Oh, great. Can I see it? I gave the instructions with as much precision as I could but I am now a tad curious to see the result."

Of course. "Well I'm afraid you can't right now." Pause. "Nope." Jane shook her head, looking for a lie that wouldn't sound too big. "Because I left it in the car with the presents." Okay, that wasn't bad.

"Oh too bad... Well, I suppose I will now have to wait for tonight then. Thank you again for being okay with the microscope. I love you."

Dear God this was atrocious. Jane murmured a vague comment back and rushed to her desk as she made sure that her wife had stepped into the elevator and was on her way to the morgue.

"Oh fuck it." She opened the box and checked the chocolate mash left around. This was bad. Really bad. "Frost, give me the phone number of that damn pastry shop."

Within a few seconds, the young detective had found the information on the web and Jane was on the phone dealing with a French chef in the hope he would be able to break a record in baking the exact same cake within a very short amount of time.

For $300.

Really? That much? Jane choked on her bottle of water as she heard the price. The price of her bad moves. The price of emergency and – eventually – of the confirmation she wouldn't have to face a cold and angry Maura in bed at night.

She played with fire on this March, 23rd but didn't get caught. She arrived home on time – holding a perfect cake – with plenty of presents waiting in her car. Her daughters couldn't have been happier – even if the celebration with their friends was only scheduled for the day after and that the evening was for relatives and Jane and Maura's close friends – and Alba didn't break her microscope.

Not yet.

Perhaps Jane would feel a tiny ounce of guilt as she would open the pastry box and the image of $300 flying away from her bank account would make it to her mind but at least she would definitely have avoided the worst.

And Maura would turn to be anything but cold once in bed at night.

_You're a fraud, Riz'. But a smart one. Enjoy it till it lasts. Karma is a bitch, never forget that. _Maybe one day she would tell the story behind the twins' fifth birthday. And everyone would laugh it away. But right now, she knew better than to even try something like that.

Maura was Maura. Nobody was allowed to ruin her daughters' birthday. Not even their own mother. No, scratch that. Even less their own mother.

But then Jane had never really had luck on March, 23rd. Or at least not since the day Alba had broken her arm a couple of hours before the birthday celebration.


	12. Five and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the reviews and I take note of the suggestions, will do my best to insert them one way or another.**_

**Chapter Twelve: Five and a Half Years Old**

"C'est bien, Alba. Va doucement."* Maura gave a smile of encouragement to her daughter before turning to Lucie who was very focused on her own flower pot. Sticking her tongue out in an effort – a big one – of concentration, the little girl kept on painting purple circles with an easiness that took Maura aback. Lucie had always been good at drawing but the scientist had to recognize that – lately – her daughter had won in personality when it came to art.

Lucie's drawings weren't the ones of a typical five-year-old child. There was maturity in all of her paintings and drawings to the point it made Maura feel uncomfortable. She had refused to run I.Q. tests on the twins when the psychologist of the school had suggested it after having noticed a few things in the girls' behaviors for knowing way too well how it felt to somewhat be different. There was no way she would let her daughters go through the same as she had experienced at their age.

"J'ai plus de vert."* Alba pouted and looked up at her mother for some help.

"Je _n'ai_ plus de vert. Watch your negation, please."* Jane being at work for a last-minute call on a scene, Maura took advantage of it to speak French with the twins; not that she didn't do it when the Italian was around but she knew how it made her wife feel aside a bit.

"Mélange le bleu et le jaune, ça fait du vert."* Lucie shrugged and mixed both colors to show her sister. "See? Easy!" The blue melted into the yellow shade only to let appear the green Lucie was looking for.

Surprised – her curiosity piqued – the twin bent over the result before looking at her mother. "How come?"

"Well, it is a matter of pigmentation. The pigments in the blue paint absorb the luminous radiations but the blue ones. The ones of the yellow paint absorb them all but the yellow ones. When mixing both, the green radiations aren't absorbed, therefore the reason why we get green from it." Before her daughters' confused gaze, Maura ran her tongue over her lips and tried to look for a more basic way to explain the phenomenom.

It was quite challenging for her to hold conversations with children. Way too often she used terms her daughters could hardly understand. Just as she had assumed she might have found a good way to solve the pigment mystery, her cell phone rang. She grabbed it – frowned at the number – before standing up to leave the twins at their flower pot painting.

"Dr. Isles-Rizzoli?" It was her day off, there was no reason for a hospital to call her now, no matter who had passed away. The governor was the only one who could do that. And yet. She didn't like it much.

But it was not for her job. And as she listened to the nurse telling her that Jane had had an accident – along with Frost and Korsak – all she could think about was how to control the tone of her voice and not succumb to panic to not scare the twins who were peacefully painting at the kitchen counter right now.

"What do you mean she doesn't want me to come?" Hissing between clenched teeth, Maura took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Jane was injured but didn't want Maura to go to the hospital?

_At least it means that she is alive, Isles. Alive and thus ready to face a very, very cold treatment as she passes the door of this house at the end of the day._

"How about her vital signs?" Pause. "I want them now!" And failed. Her voice resounded loud all of sudden, breaking the peaceful chat of the twins. Maura bit her lower lip and shook her head. Perfect, really. She was losing her nerves in front of her daughters. "I am the Chief Medical Examiner of the State so I don't think you really have a word to say on this." Pause. "Well pass him to me now if you are not able to read medical files and need your superior's help for that!"

Complete fail. But at this point, she didn't care much anymore. After all, her own mother had passed her whole life pretending to not be touched by events and Maura had never liked that so-called distance so maybe it was time for her to embrace who she really was, forget about the education she had got and appear in front of the twins as a person with feelings.

Someone who could laugh – cry – and be angry.

_To the hell, Isles. Really!_

...

The tension was palpable. Lucie and Alba were utterly silent – more holding their dolls than playing with them – while Maura kept on marking a fast pace with her fingers on her knees.

After a rather memorable phone call with the nurse and a large part of the hospital staff, the blonde had had no choice but to wait – and wait – for Jane's return.

All she knew about was a couple of x rays to be done and a discarded concussion while the roof of a warehouse had fallen on her and her colleagues. And the fact Tommy was picking her up at the hospital.

Fantastic. Really.

"Mom?"

As Maura looked up, she realized that Alba had left her sister to stand right in front of her; worried. _Just because you feel concerned about Jane doesn't mean you have to forget to your children. What kind of mother are you, exactly? _"Yes, sweetie?" She didn't even feel like speaking French anymore.

"Is mommy going to be okay? Why is she at the hospital? I want to see her." Alba pouted, frowned.

"Me too." Lucie approached and repeated the same mock of sadness as her sister. "Why can't we go to the hospital?"

Maura opened her mouth to reply but remained silent. Now that was a good question. Jane had just insisted on not bothering to come and wait with her. Fair for the twins – a hospital was not a funny place, even less for children – but now the girls were utterly worried.

Maura as well.

"Because she should be home within a minute now. How about you prepare her a drawing? She is doing just fine, the doctor said so. That's why it was pointless for us to go to the hospital. She isn't staying there."

Somewhat convinced, the little girls nodded and went to grab a sheet of paper each to start drawing something. Maura smiled to herself. At least it would keep them busy in the meantime. It was not a bad idea.

Just as she was crossing her legs for the hundredth time within a minute, the door finally opened and Tommy's voice broke the heavy silence.

"Hey, look who I found at the ER. I thought you'd like to have her back here!" Jane's brother smiled brightly and let a light laugh escape.

"Mommy!" Lucie and Alba shrieked – stood up – and ran to the door only to stop as they let their mother step in.

Maura stood up – determined to shoot an icy glare at her wife – but as she saw the brunette literally mummified under layers of tape, her anger vanished away immediately replaced by concern.

"Aw... Hey, Tommy! Look at the princesses! And here comes the queen! _My_ queen." Very proudly, Jane straightened up and winked at Maura in spite of the bruise by her eye.

The medical examiner frowned. Jane sounded drunk; from her tone of voice to the sheepish smile that played on her lips. She looked at her brother-in-law and grabbed the x rays he was holding. "I was told that she didn't have any concussion. Are they sure about it? Where is her scanner?"

Tommy shook his head – dropped his keys on the console by the lobby – and led his sister further in the house, dealing at the same time with two hysterical five-year-olds. "She's clear, no worries. But they surely gave her a strong dose of meds so she's kind of high right now."

Using a lamp as an x ray box to read Jane's results, Maura looked at Tommy and widened her eyes in slight panic. Awesome. The mummy was drugged.

"You're gonna have a blast, tonight, with her. I mean she kept on singing _Total Eclipse of the Heart_ in the car while we were listening to the Rolling Stones."

Tommy's comment made Maura chuckle. At last. It was all she needed after such a long wait.

The physician she had had on the phone had been reassuring enough but then it wasn't every day that her wife ended up with the roof of a warehouse hitting her on the head.

"How are Sergeant Korsak and Detective Frost?" Fair question. She hadn't even thought about it at the time. Seeing how Tommy was shrugging – not really sure about it – Maura turned to Jane who had sat on the couch and was now in full elf talk with the twins. "Where are your colleagues, Jane?"

With this sheepish smile that wouldn't leave her, the brunette turned around and winked at Maura. "Back to Narnia." Giggles.

Alright.

"Well, I have to go. Lydia and TJ are waiting for me to have dinner. Here's her prescriptions and all the meds they gave her. See you!"

Maura nodded at Tommy and thanked him again before closing the door and walking to the couch. The twins had settled on each side of Jane, their little legs intertwined with their mother's. As Lucie noticed Maura, she patted the space by her side. The scientist obliged and planted a kiss on top of her daughter's head.

Lucie turned to her, all smile. "Isn't it funny, mom? Mommy looks like Tutukanmun." Covering her mouth, Lucie looked at Alba and they both giggled.

Maura smiled; bit her lower lip. "Tutankhamun, Lucie. Tutankhamun."

...

*"Well done, Alba. Go slow."

*"I have no green anymore."

*"I _don't_ have green anymore."

*"Mix blue and yellow together, it makes green."


	13. Six Years Old

_**Author's notes: thank you very much for all the reviews and suggestions!**_

**Chapter Thirteen: Six Years Old**

Seven years. It had been seven years now that they had been together as a couple but Jane still had a hard time believing it. The fact she could kiss Maura's earlobe – feel the heat of her body as her hands wandered along the curves – or die in the sigh of a long kiss.

It was the sweetest oddness she had ever lived.

Tracing a path of kisses up her wife's chest, Jane let a smile embrace her lips and light up her features. She felt fine. In peace.

Her breasts brushed Maura's as she found back her mouth and they rolled on a side, the rustling of the bed sheet barely troubling the quietness of the early morning. Feeling her partner pass her legs around her waist, Jane let her do and gladly accepted the honey blonde on top of her before closing her eyes as the first effects of Maura sliding along her body at a sensual pace began to stir a series of powerful feelings.

...

"Good morning."

Mug of coffee in hand, Maura turned around and smiled at her daughter as she walked in and sat on the couch to watch television.

"Good morning, Alba." The scientist approached the little girl to welcome her with a kiss but rolled her eyes as she looked at her properly. "What did we say about walking around the house in nothing but your underwear?"

Focused on a cartoon, Alba shrugged and pursed her lips. "That it was bad. That's why I have a shirt on."

Maura blinked and raised an eyebrow, suddenly aware of the slight failure of her previous message. "You are supposed to be wearing a bottom as well. You went to bed with your pajamas on. Why did you take them off?"

"I was too hot." Finally turning her head around, Alba smiled brightly. Innocently. Or not. "Can we have pancakes today, mom?"

"Not if you stay in your underwear. Whom did you get this habit from? I certainly don't go around in the house half-naked!" Maura adjusted her kimono and was about to add something when Jane came in wearing nothing but a shirt and a pair of boxer shorts.

"Hey, Pumpkin." Barely noticing Maura's gaze on her, the brunette went to sit next to her daughter and started watching the cartoon.

"Hey."

Maura blinked. Pajamas-less mystery: solved. Restraining a sigh of annoyance, the scientist put all her frustration in the mug of coffee she began to hold way too tight. Her knuckles turned white. Oh yes, she was angry.

At 9.15am.

"Jane, you are half-naked."

The Italian turned her head around – winked – then smirked. "And don't you love it."

"You know what I think about it. What if there is an emergency and you need to go outside in such outfit? Or if you simply need to answer the door?" _Be an example for your daughters, dammit!_

Jane yawned – laughed at the funny cartoon scene – and rolled her eyes at Maura. "Then I'll put a pair of jeans on. Or whatever there's in the laundry. No stress here. Why don't you sit down with us on the couch and relax, Maur'?"

Scoff. "But what if... What if there is a fire and you have to hurry outside? Will you feel alright out there, standing in the cold half-naked?"

"I always have an extra set of clothing in the car."

Feeling the end of the conversation near and the taste of victory brushing her lips, Maura grinned. "Except you will have not had time to grab your keys."

Silence. Running her tongue over her lips – not so focused anymore on the cartoon – Jane made a face as her wife's words floated around. Why was Maura so good at this game? It was unfair. "Fine, I'll go put something on and then make pancakes."

"Yay pancakes!" Alba stood up on the couch and clapped her hands in delight before laughing loud as Jane grabbed her by the waist to carry her upstairs.

"You too have to put some pants on, young girl." Friendly smile at Maura who nodded a sincere and quiet thank you. "We'll be right back."

Satisfied, the medical examiner walked back to the kitchen counter – put down her mug – and took her medical bag to check the contents. She was on call within an hour now. She'd better be ready.

"Good morning."

Lucie's voice in her back made her jump of surprise. She hadn't heard anyone come downstairs with the television on. Maura turned around to say hello to her daughter – all smile – but froze. Uncertain of the way she was supposed to react – anger or laugh – the honey blonde pursed her lips. What was this family about, exactly?

"Good morning..." Pause. Just the time to look for the proper words. "Lucie, may I know why you are wearing one of my negligees?"

"Because it is pretty." Confused, the little girl looked down at her attire. "Don't you think so?"

"Oh I do and that's why I bought it. For me... This is adult clothing, Lucie. You are too young to wear it." Even if Maura had to recognize that her daughter looked cute in it. The negligee looked more like an ankle-length dress on the little girl though.

"And we're back!" Fully dressed, Jane stepped proudly in the kitchen with Alba only to stop as she noticed Lucie standing there in Maura's clothes. She counted until three, the required time to make her best to not burst out laughing.

Maura cast a glance at her immediately, imploring her in silence to not say anything. Especially about the rather flat chest area that turned into an impressive lowcut on the little girl.

"It looks good on you." Alba smiled at her sister before focusing back on her mothers. "So can we have the pancakes now?"

Maura nodded absentmindedly and let the twins go sit on the couch for the rest of the cartoon. Too late for another comment about Lucie's choice of clothes. Alba's compliment had gone straight to her sister's heart and Lucie was now grinning; joyful as ever.

"What is going on?" Teeth clenched, Jane bent over and frowned at the twins while murmuring her confusion to Maura.

"I am err... I am not sure...?" Speechless, the blonde watched how the door of the patio opened and Angela stepped in; ready for work.

The matriarch kissed her granddaughters – frowned at Lucie's clothes – then shook her head as she walked into the kitchen.

"I know you are rather easy-going with your kids but I'm not sure a six-year-old should be wearing a satin negligee."

Jane rolled her eyes – grabbed the bottle of milk – and poured some in a bowl. Her hopes to have a quiet morning had vanished away. In all honesty, they had vanished away the day Maura had given birth and they had brought back home two little twins. Now the girls may have grown up, they still had a lot of energy to spend.

Way too early. Way too loudly.

Besides, she wasn't sure that they were so easy-going with their daughters. Or at least not Maura. A real control freak. The proof again this morning with the pajamas issue. Not that she held it against her. The time they could walk around half-naked in the house without fearing to see anyone walk in on them was long gone now.

_Make children, lose your intimacy. Now that's damn right, Riz'._

The mere fact the twins didn't burst into their bedroom unnannounced anymore was already a big victory for her. At least they now knew that if the door was closed, they had to knock before. And yet only for emergencies.

"I am afraid this wasn't planned at all, Angela. She just showed up here wearing it. I told her it was an adult piece of clothing but then Alba expressed her enthusiasm about it and... And here we are." Maura bit her lower lip – wondering if she had lacked authority – then shrugged. She didn't want to bring down everyone all the time. She wasn't there for that.

"Maybe you could buy her cotton ones, for kids." Sensing it was neither Jane nor Maura's fault, the matriarch smiled as she suggested a plan B. "Everyone doesn't like pajamas. Maybe she prefers this, you know."

Maura pondered the idea and cast a glance at everyone. Jane had put on capri pants – Alba had gone for Christmas-themed pajamas bottoms while they were in May – and Lucie was wearing a negligee for adults.

Her family was really dysfunctional when it came to clothing.

"Yes, sure... What do you think about it, Lucie?" Trying to sound enthusiastic, Maura smiled at her daughter who turned around at the call of her name. "I'm not working on Wednesday. Would you like to go shopping with me for you?" Oops. "For you and Alba?" Drama: avoided.

Satisfied of the last-minute correction, Alba focused back on the television.

Lucie grinned, thrilled at such perspective.


	14. Six and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for the reviews (and the last suggestion I inserted here).**_

**Chapter Fourteen – Six and a Half Years Old**

"Wow, Maur'... These seats are just awesome!" Thrilled as she had never been before, Jane turned around and planted a loud – enthusiastic – kiss on her wife's lips before looking back at the stadium.

It was perfect. The sky was blue – a warm breeze reddened their cheeks – and the twins were rather curious about their first time at Fenway; proudly wearing their brand new Red Sox jerseys just like their mothers.

"By the way, you should get your hair in a ponytail more often. It really suits you well." Jane smiled timidly at the honey blonde as she shrugged and crossed her legs. Maura was playing the game with no problem whatsoever: no stilettos, no Chanel jacket.

She was wearing a pair of jeans – tennis shoes – the same jersey as the rest of her family and had embraced rather easily such casual style. It must have been experience. Jane had taken her there for the first time almost ten years earlier.

"When does it start?" Lucie squinted her eyes at the crowd. People were coming and going rather joyfully, patting each other's back and laughing loud.

"In about twenty minutes." Jane looked down at her daughters sitting between her and Maura then frowned. "Alba, this isn't a hair saloon. What are you doing?"

Slightly upset, the little girl looked at her sister and pouted. "I want pigtails like Lucie." Pulling on her hair tie, she winced in pain but nonetheless managed to get rid of her ponytail. She was really stubborn. When she wanted something, she did anything to get it.

Jane rolled her eyes and grabbed an extra hair tie from her backpack. "What is it that you absolutely want to look like your sister? Don't you want to be yourself?"

The Italian looked up at Maura and restrained a sigh. Since the girls' birth, they had tried to raise them as siblings and not physically identical people but lately Lucie and Alba wanted nothing but that. Being twins, the spitting image of each other.

And it worried them a lot.

"You don't want a ponytail like the one I have? Now this is upsetting. You don't like mine?" _Nice try Isles, really. _Maura smiled genuinely. She knew that it was all vain and it was not the right time to stir up a family crisis. But still, she had to try.

"No, I want to be just like Lucie. Ponytails are for moms. Look at you and mommy. I'm not a mom. Not yet."

"Yes, she's right. Pablo doesn't want children yet." Lucie's little voice pierced through the air almost absentmindedly, too busy as she was playing with the hem of her jersey.

Jane frowned. Instinct alert: activated. "Who is Pablo?"

Grinning, Lucie looked up at her mother and giggled. "It is Alba's crush."

"What?!" No, no, no, no, no. They were at Fenway to support the Red Sox. This was not the time to learn that her six-year-old daughter had a so-called boyfriend. Jane widened her eyes in panic.

"What are you afraid of, Jane? I guess we still have some time ahead of us before planning any kind of wedding. Relax. It is all innocent."

The brunette sighed. Maura was a control freak – a real one – but when it came to all these things – all these little and so natural details of life – she couldn't be calmer and wise. Fair. She was right. It was just fine if their daughter had a crush. It didn't mean much.

"Do you have a crush too, Lucie?" Tentative voice, slightly anxious in spite of the effort to sound as casual as possible. Such news suddenly made Jane feel old. Her babies were having innocent – or at least she hoped so – flirts of some sort. Where had the time gone?

"No, I don't. Boys are annoying."

Satisfied smile. Jane couldn't help it. _Now that's my girl. Good answer, Lucie. And please, don't feel the urge to change your mind any time soon. Really._

"When do we sing _Sweet Valentine_?"

Jane chuckled. "It's _Sweet Caroline_. Do you know when it's played, Lucie? Can you help your sis'?" The brunette cast a glance at Maura who was busy checking the contents of their hot dogs. Nerd.

"It's played at every game in the middle of the eighth...? That's when you start singing it when you watch a game at home."

Blushing – slightly embarrassed by the confession – Jane nonetheless nodded at her daughter. "Yes it is. That's how you recognize true fans. Speaking of which... I can't believe Susie isn't here! What a major disappointment from someone who's so much into our team!"

Maura scoffed at the comment and rolled her eyes before giving Alba an all-checked and validated hot dog. "She gave birth two days ago! She still is at the hospital."

"You're a fan or you're not, Maur'. What on Earth... Even in labor I'd be here, closing my legs and clenching my teeth. The game comes first."

Silence. Jane winced. This wasn't good at all.

"Are you saying that if I had gone into labor during a baseball game, you would have not stayed with me at the hospital but made it to Fenway instead?" Snappy tone of voice. Fair enough.

The Italian paused. Second mistake within five seconds. Maura gasped in horror and shook her head in disbelief. _Make the peace, Riz'. Make. It. Now. It's an emergency! _"The important thing is you did not give birth on a game day."

Silence. Again. Somewhat angry, Maura held a hot dog to Lucie and almost threw one at Jane. "Too bad we keep on postponing the purchase of a new couch, you know."

"... Why? ..." Cautious, Jane cast a glance at her wife who was now checking her own sandwich.

"Because a new one would have been a lot more comfortable than the old one you will be sleeping on tonight."

...

As the diaporama came to an end, Jane couldn't help grinning. The moment they had passed the door of the house – coming back from the game – she had rushed to her computer to download there the pictures they had taken at Fenway.

"Maura! Come over here! You gotta see that." She was proud. It was a ridiculous feeling but she was utterly proud. The girls had loved the game – the Red Sox had won – and the family selfies were just the best.

They looked cute holding hot dogs, all wearing the same jersey in different sizes.

Alba had even wanted to buy a baseball bat. _Major win, Riz'. You have the best family around. _For a few hours, Jane had managed to forget about the rest; the stress of her job, the girls' homework. She owed it to her family, the only people on Earth able to bring her such love.

Such powerful feeling of invicibility.

"Oh, you have already downloaded them? How are they? Maybe we could print one and frame it. We rarely do that, after all." Maura walked to her wife and settled by her side on the couch.

Jane smiled but made a face as she turned her head around to look at the blonde. "What the hell are you holding?"

Maura shrugged. "A shinbone. I am cleaning it."

Pause. Whatever. Back to the computer. "You know, I think we should sign the girls to a baseball camp or something. I know you think they're young but they really liked it. Maybe they're future awesome players. Their dance stuff is great and they like it but why not adding baseball?"

"It is a body expression workshop, not dance. It helps them to channel their energy and balance their vitality." A smile played on Maura's lips. She loved this workshop and desperatly hoped somehow Jane would join in the adult one at some point.

Hysterical shrieks pierced through the door of the patio left ajar. The brunette raised an eyebrow. Oh yes, the whole channeling the energy worked wonderful obviously. But knowing better than to piss off Maura – she had already lost good wife points at Fenway with the whole labor thing – she didn't make any remark about the level of excitement the twins were now showing in the patio.

"Look at this. Wouldn't they look cute in baseball jerseys? We'd go to see their games on weekends. Well, when we're not working. Ma' would love it too. She was a hockey mom, you know." _And not so proud when I came back home from practice with missing teeth but this is not something we do have to remember at all cost._

Maura pouted. She seemed divided. "If they really show an interest in it then why not. Right now, it is all new. That's why they are eagerly playing with the baseball bat in the patio. Wait for a week or so and we will see if their enthusiasm hasn't faded away. As for their sport skills, I have no doubt at all that they would be good at it."

The explosion of the kitchen window made them both jump of surprise. Among the shattered glass, a baseball rolled on the floor only to stop by the counter and a frightened Coco Loco.

Hmm. Maura made a face. Perhaps they had overestimated the twins' sport skills just a little bit.


	15. Seven Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews!**_

**Chapter Fifteen: Seven Years Old**

"I don't think that you should come with me in the autopsy room."

Alba frowned – looked at the door of her mother's office – and bit her lower lip in concentration as if she were trying to find the best argument that would make Maura abdicate. "Why? Is your job... Wrong?" Perplexed, the little girl raised an eyebrow and crossed her hands on her lap.

Wednesday afternoon. Her gym class had been cancelled due to the instructor being sick and neither Jane nor Maura had found a last-minute babysitter susceptible to look after Alba. Backup plan: take her to the BPD.

Except Jane had had to leave on a crime scene and Maura was on her way for an autopsy.

"Not at all. My job is about helping detectives to solve cases, bringing to them the medical aspect of it."

"Is it true what uncle Frankie said to Lydia, the other day? That you cut people in two?" Alba made a face. She didn't look worried but confused. Almost embarrassed by her own question, her gaze did not remain on her mother but focused instead on her notebook. She had done her homework already while Maura had revised a couple of files.

The honey blonde swallowed hard. So much to carefully avoid the subject with Jane when the twins were around... Of course, Lucie and Alba had had to overhear other people's conversation about it.

"It is a bit more complicated than that. I..." She had always had a hard time talking about her job to her daughters. Jane was chasing bad people to the girls' eyes – which, to an extent, was true and not so quixotic – but how to explain hers? She loved it but it was very complicated to talk about it.

Alba stood up and walked to her mother. Without a word, she grabbed Maura's hand before leading her to the couch. They both sat down and the little girl locked her hazel eyes into identical ones. "I won't be angry with you, mom. You can tell me what you do. All I know is that it is important. This is what Romane said at school the other day."

Maura smiled as a wave of guilt passed underneath her skin. This wasn't normal. She should have been the one explaining it to her daughters, not their friend. "Fine. Do you remember what I told you about Haumea's goldfish?"

Alba nodded. "He died."

"And I explained how it worked, what it meant. Well, if most of the times people who die are very old and this is the reason why they pass away, at times it is more complicated and we don't know... We don't know what happened. This is when I am needed. I look everywhere in their body for the evidence that will tell us why they passed away."

Silence. An uncomfortable one. _Should I add something? You are way too abstract, Isles. But then it is not as if you can actually go into more precise details. This would be utterly wrong._

"You have to cut them in two for that?"

Ah. _Note to yourself: kill Frankie for having talked openly about it while the girls were around. As soon as you come across him._

"Yes, honey. I have to. But it is painless for them since they have already passed away. I don't hurt them. Do you understand?"

Alba nodded. She looked a bit perplexed, thoughtful. "What a strange job you have, mom... But I like it a lot."

Before Maura had time to react, a tiny pair of arms grabbed her for a tight hug as Alba's smile died in the depth of her neck.

"I love you, mom."

...

In full concentration, Jane caressed her chin and squinted her eyes at Maura who was sitting on the other side of the table and looked perfectly stoical. The silence that reigned over the room echoed – cruelly – the importance of the moment. Catching a brief glance at their daughters who were just as hooked, the brunette took a deep breath and talked.

"Are you wearing a hat?" Slow, cautious voice. Paramount question.

With all the patience in the world – showing great self-control – Maura shook her head and smiled at her wife. "No, I am not."

Jane blinked, suddenly losing the plot. "What? How come? No way! Oh come on, Maur'... You have to wear one!"

The scientist burst out laughing – amused by her partner's reaction – and joined the twins in a chant of delight. "I am not wearing a hat. You know that I can't lie, anyway. I am not."

Angrily, Jane flipped down the few characters who wore a hat and mumbled between her teeth. She was a detective, dammit. And yet she was about to lose to _Who's Who_. Now that was sad. It was the grand final. Lucie and Alba had been eliminated and there was no way she let Maura win. Nope.

Her competitive spirit prevented her from doing so.

"Mommy, you are so dead." Lucie shook her head at Jane between two laughs and lifted her arms in defeat. "Mom got you, here."

"No, she didn't. It isn't over yet." Jane scoffed and grabbed her mug of coffee to take a sip.

"It is just a game, you know. It is perfectly fine if you lose it." Maura smiled, brightly. Her very own competitive spirit hadn't left her either and she loved being in the winner position, here.

"Yeah? What if we were playing _Operation!_ and you lost? How would you take that one?" Rather satisfied of her argument, Jane straightened up and winked at her daughters. She was glad to see that they had managed to turn a boring – rainy – Sunday into something entertaining for everyone.

As much as she was losing.

"This wouldn't happen. I have a MD. And by the way, you are Mary. End of the game: I win." And a high-five with the twins as Jane rolled her eyes and began to pout.

"We have to give mom her prize, Al!" Excited, Lucie looked all around to find something that could actually result in some sort of gift.

"How about a good grade in mathematics – for a change – Lucie?" Maura raised an eyebrow at her daughter before casting a glance at the little girl's notebook. They were now in elementary school and if Alba didn't seem to have any issue whatsoever, Lucie was a bit lost in science.

Science. Maura would have never said it out loud but it surely broke her heart.

Lucie rolled her eyes and heavily sighed. "Why do you have to ruin everything, mom? It's Sunday. Chill out!"

Jane chuckled but stopped right away as she felt Maura's icy stare on her. She didn't particularly like the fact her daughter had difficulties at school but she didn't take it as bad as her wife. Not yet.

The worst of all was that Lucie was a bright student. She had the capacities to be excellent but she didn't seem to mind much about it. She was bored too easily, not attentive enough when in class. It really worried Maura. What if Lucie suffered in silence, not daring to say what was happening? As a mother, the medical examiner was scared to death to be actually missing out the issue;

"Don't use this tone with me, young girl. And certainly not when we are talking about school. You know it is very important."

The girl nodded apologetically and grabbed Maura's hand to plant a kiss on it. For some reason, it was a gesture she had developped at a very young age. Alba never did that.

"So... This is not the best time to ask for a puppy?" Alba looked first at Jane then at Maura before raising her eyebrows in expectation. Forced grin.

"What do you need a new dog for? You have Jo Friday!" Now Jane was actually offended. Really offended. What was going on? What kind of plots had she missed from the twins?

"Well you just said it. Jo's nice but she's not new."

Scoff. Gasp. Jane widened her eyes in horror at her daughter. She was raising a monster. "Does that mean you'll look for a new mom the day you think I'm too old for the job? Alba!" Looking for help into her wife, the Italian stared at Maura in disbelief.

The honey blonde shrugged. Not the classic I-don't-know shrug though but the I-already-said-no one. Jane turned immediately suspicious. Since when did the rest of the family decide to not include her in such decisions? What was going on, exactly?

"Wait a minute. What did you forget to tell me? Maur'...?" Crossing her arms on her chest, Jane pouted and waited impatiently for an answer.

"This is an old conversation to which I already put an end. My opinion is still the same one, Alba. No. You won't have a dog..." As the little girl opened her mouth to speak, Maura shook her head as vehemently as she could. "Neither a pony. And even less a unicorn." Pause. "Period."


	16. Seven and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews!**_

**Chapter Sixteen: Seven and a Half Years Old**

With an expert hand, Maura zipped Jane's dress and planted a stolen kiss on her shoulder blade. The touch resounded loud in their quiet bedroom, echoing the smile that played on the Italian's lips.

A step backwards. Maura tilted her head on a side – squinted her eyes at her wife – then nodded as appreciatively as she could. "Perfect."

Jane made a face, dancing on her feet uncomfortably. "What is it that our daughters do anything to see me in a dress?"

The scientist smirked – approached back her wife – and passed her arms around her waist to pull her closer to her own body. "Because they know how stunning you are when you wear one."

Jane's blush vanished behind a curtain of dark curls as she let Maura do and capture her lips in a deep kiss. Slowly – like a gentle caress – her hands travelled up the honey blonde's arms before settling around her neck.

"Hey! I am waiting..."

The high-pitched voice made them break their embrace. They turned around to look at their young interlocutor. Lucie was standing on the door frame wrapped in a bath towel; another one covering her hair.

"And it is getting cold."

Jane nodded – winked at Maura – then grabbed her daughter's hand to take her to her very own bedroom. "You're right, Lulu. Sorry for that. I was getting ready."

As they stepped into Lucie's room, the detective couldn't help noticing how the place screamed Maura's education. It was neat. Toys were in boxes, the bed was made. The old desk they had purchased at a flea market impeccable.

"You surely know how to tidy up your bedroom..." _What if I pay you $5 to do the same with my side of the closet?_

Lucie nodded happily and proceeded to dress up, Jane helping her in the process. She then sat just on the edge of the bed and let her mother take care of her hair. It was long, now. She refused to get it cut. With care, Jane began to comb it silently.

"Do you like kissing mom?"

The question made the Italian smile. "Of course!"

"What does it feel like when you do?" Lucie was sitting straight, trying to not move much, teeth clenched when the comb came across a knot.

"It's like... You have butterflies in your stomach and you're very warm. All of a sudden. At times it even gives me goosebumps."

Jane giggled. She had learned to open a bit more about her feelings with the twins in her life. They were both curious about her and Maura. About love in general. They didn't stop asking questions.

"Have you ever had boyfriends before mom? Or just girlfriends?" This time, Lucie turned her head around to look at Jane properly, pondering the importance of the question.

It took the brunette aback. So far, the twins had only focused on the couple she formed with Maura. Not on what might have happened before them. "I had both... But none of them made me as happy as I am now."

Lucie nodded and looked back straight in front of her, hands on her lap. "Mom is the right one for you."

The remark made Jane laugh. It was weird to see children use such expressions they had probably caught around – on television and such – to assimilate them so easily.

"You should also wear a dress more often. You look beautiful, tonight. Everyone will look at you at the restaurant and mom will be jealous!"

"Oh I'm sure that Maura will be jealous if this happens... She doesn't allow anyone to look at me for more than five seconds and yet it has to be in the eyes." _You married Queen Jealous, Riz'. Let's face it. _

For the first time, Alba had been invited to a slumber party at a friend's place and not Lucie. It was not that she had taken bad but Jane and Maura had felt how hard it would be for the girl to see her twin go away for the night. They were close. Very close. A lot more than other siblings and that as much as they had their respective bedrooms – clothes – and personality. Spending the evening with Lucie had seemed to be a good idea. They had let her choose what she wanted to do and against all expectations, she had asked to go to the restaurant. Nothing else.

Just a dinner with her mothers.

"So we go for a French braid?" Another point of raising girls: Jane had become a hairdo specialist. It was a big change from her own childhood and being surrounded by brothers only.

"No, I've changed my mind. I want the same bun as you." Lucie's smile warmed up Jane's heart. The girl grabbed a few hairpins and held them out to her mother. "So you don't need to use a hair dryer."

A knock on the door made them both turn around. Timidly – afraid to disturb – Maura stepped in the bedroom and smiled at them. "Are you ready?"

"Almost. Miss Lucie wants a bun so a bun it will be!" Jane winked at Maura and focused back on her daughter's hair. Her fingers slid through curls that reminded her of her wife. They were exactly the same ones.

"Good... I got a message from the lab. The tox screen is clean on your John Doe." The honey blonde made a face. She didn't want to talk about their case tonight, not when they had decided to dedicate it to Lucie and nobody else.

"Really? So there's no correlation between him and the two previous ones..." Jane frowned and bit her lower lip. After two suspicious deaths and identical tox screen results, she had assumed they had to face a new drug on the market but the latest news didn't seem to take this direction at all.

"Is the princess going to be here, tonight? I have never met a princess before." Worried, Lucie cast a glance at her outfit. She had chosen it herself which was not a source of trouble for Jane and Maura. The little girl showed great skills to assemble colors and fabrics.

A lot more than Jane herself, which was a joke that ran in the family.

But still.

"The princess? What princess, honey?" Maura frowned – confused – and looked down at Lucie.

"I saw on Internet that the restaurant was named after a princess. Lala Rokh. Will she be there or she isn't in Boston right now?" Pause. "Internet at school. I didn't use the computer here without your permission."

"Oh, that princess..." The honey blonde cast a glance at Jane and smiled at the idea elaborated by their daughter. "No, there is no princess there. They chose this name as a homage to her. The food will be the kind of one there is in her own country. It is Persian cuisine."

"And we're done. Look at me..." Jane took some distance to check her work and nodded, satisfied. "Perfect, Lucie. But you should definitely wear some jewels. You don't want to wear your purple necklace?"

The little girl widened her eyes in horror. "Purple? My dress is already purple. That would be too much. Too much purple kills the purple." She shook her head, made a face. "Nah. Besides it's just plastic. There's no way I go to the restaurant wearing plastic. Would you?"

Jane blinked, trying desperately to understand what she had just done, how she had managed to cause such a crisis within a suggestion. Yet the remark made her blush. Lucie was right. She was wearing the diamond earrings that Maura had offered her for their fifth anniversary herself.

But then she wasn't seven and a half years old either.

"A cameo, however..."

Lucie smiled mischievously as she looked at Maura. The medical examiner had categorically said no to it for the last few weeks. The cameo was ancient and Lucie was way too young to wear it.

"No, honey. When I say no then it is no."

Lucie pouted two seconds before shrugging at Jane and standing up. "I suppose it was worth a try." She put her shoes on and smiled brightly at their mothers. "I am ready! But we won't talk about... School, will we?"

Jane looked at Maura and frowned, not knowing what to say. She felt sorry. Lucie's results were still very average to not say bad. The medical examiner offered a warm smile at their daughter. She knelt down to be at the same level as the little girl.

"No, honey. We won't. But you do know that if we talk about it so often it is because it is important, right? It isn't to bring you down, on the contrary."

Lucie nodded. For a few seconds, she remained still – as if she were pondering the words – before finally grabbing Jane and Maura's hands. A bright smile lit up her features.

It was not every day that she had both of her mothers for herself. She was ecstatic.


	17. Eight Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the reviews; I will write this story until the twins turn 18 so it will be 36 chapters in all. **_

**Chapter Seventeen: Eight Years Old**

They passed the door of the house – abandoned their belongings in the lobby – and made a few steps in before stopping, uncertain. The place looked very cold in spite of the sun piercing through and the hot temperatures of the summer warming up the room. Cold and quiet.

Uncomfortable before the sudden – unexpected – silence, Jane cleared her voice and turned around to face Maura. "So... What do you want to do? We have the whole day off. For ourselves. This has not happened since 1972."

"We weren't born in 1972." Yet not bothered by the fact she had just highlighted, the honey blonde walked with determination to her wife and took her shirt off before unzipping her jeans.

"It was a don't-be-so-literal moment, Maur'." As she found herself in nothing but her underwear and rather quickly, Jane giggled; taken aback. "But who cares, anyway. Obviously, you've already made your mind about our next activity."

Maura raised an eyebrow – surprised – and stopped in her tracks to look at Jane with perplexity. "I am simply about to take care of the laundry."

Oh. "Well, you can have two for the price of one..." Suggestively – smiling at Maura's laugh as she passed her arms around the blonde's waist – Jane bent over to plant a delicate kiss on her lips. And nobody interrupted them.

At last.

For a long time, they had debated the idea of a summer camp for Lucie and Alba but the girls had kept on insisting, especially once they had got to know that their friends would be there. It was a first for them. They had never spent more than a day away from Boston without their mothers.

A huge change that even Jane and Maura didn't know how to deal with properly yet. It was too new. Something was missing in the house. The twins' presence. All of a sudden they were thrown back to a decade earlier when there was no child yet and they were free to come and go.

As the adults they were.

Her hazel eyes wandering shamelessly down Jane's chest, Maura ran her tongue over her lips – let a smirk light up her features – and pouted as if pondering the suggestion that had just been made.

Two weeks. They had the house for two weeks in a row. Sadly, they were not on vacation but still, a wind of freedom was about to blow all around for their highest pleasure once they would have got used to their daughters' absence.

"I can't but applaud your suggestion. Perhaps it is finally time for us to step into this hot tub and try it properly..."

Jane cast a very brief glance in direction to the patio. They had installed a tiny – temporary – sort of hot tub there for the summer but hadn't had a chance to try it without anyone around. "Having a day off has never been so tempting."

Maura burst out laughing and broke the embrace to grab back Jane's clothes. "Perfect. Then go put on a bikini while I hurry up with the washing machine."

"Why do I need a bikini for?" Not such a genuine question but still... Jane frowned. It had seemed rather clear that she wouldn't need any.

Maura stopped halfway in the living-room and turned her head around. "For the pleasure I will have to take it off."

...

"Lucie has an I.Q. of 145... It is high, very high."

It wasn't a surprise but a confirmation of something that Maura dreaded for a long time already. All of a sudden, the scientist felt immensely lonely and grabbed Jane's hand who was sitting next to her for a well-needed contact. Before their daughter's grades that were worsening, they hadn't really had a choice and had accepted the test after the psychologist of the school had met Lucie for a talk.

"But then why does she have such bad grades? She should be a top student." Jane blinked. Her fears weren't the same as Maura's. Her uncertainty lay somewhere else.

"A lot of children who have such a high I.Q. actually do have very average grades because they get bored very easily and don't make any effort whatsoever. It is too easy for them so they give up and botch their homework. They need a constant stimulation."

"Oh, I see." Not that it made her feel less disarmed. Offering a pale smile to the psychologist, Jane – nervous – looked down at the test results that lay bare on the desk in front of her.

What was she supposed to say? What did they have to do? She couldn't stand the idea Lucie was so bored that she was giving up on school already. She was barely eight years old. It was wrong.

"I don't want her to go to a special school. She has friends, here. She wouldn't live it well and I am not sure that it is such a good plan of pedagogy." Maura's voice resounded loud, honest.

The psychologist nodded. "I agree with you. I don't think it's something that's made for her because I.Q. is only a tiny part of a person. We have to take in consideration their temper as well. Which is also why I don't think that making her skip a year is good either."

Jane felt lost. On several occasions, they had alluded to it with Maura after noticing a few things – unusual ones – about Lucie. But at no moment had they gone as far as thinking about alternatives.

"Then what do you suggest? I don't want our daughter to live her school years as a nightmare just because she happens to have a high I.Q. This is... This is wrong!" There. She had said it. Perhaps she knew nothing about pedagogy but her feelings were worth to be heard. No matter what.

"Definitely not! That's why I would suggest to sign her up for our extra classes. The level is higher and allows our students to explore subjects in depth, with more complexity. It is stimulating."

Maura looked at Jane. They needed to discuss it with Lucie. There was no way they would take such decision regarding their daughter without asking her first what she thought about it.

"What kind of classes are we talking about?" Jane surprised herself having a thousand questions, suddenly. She wanted to know everything in the mere detail. Absolutely everything.

And she got her answers, leaving the psychologist's office an hour later with a sentiment of near – apprehension was still there – satisfaction. At least now they knew why Lucie had bad grades when she was a bright girl. It wasn't a question of methodology or limited capacities.

On the contrary.

They didn't talk about it on their walk back home. As a matter of fact, they remained utterly silent and only broke it as their daughters ran down the streets to welcome them. For a tiny second, Jane stared at Lucie; not knowing what to do. But the little girl grabbed her by the waist and looked up for a kiss, making Jane forget all the rest.

"What are you doing in the streets all by yourself? I know this is posh land but still..." The Italian laughed, not wanting to bring down anyone. Yet she couldn't help it. Blame her roots or her job – the combination of both was explosive – but she was a very protective mother. Way too much.

"Cailin said we could! She's there!" Alba pointed out at Maura's step-sister who was waiting – her arms crossed – by the door.

"Ah, I see... Spending some quality time with your aunt before she goes back to California?" Jane winced at the twins and smiled at Maura as she felt the honey blonde pass an arm around her waist.

The girls were close to Cailin. The bond they had built during their early years hadn't suffered too much from the separation when the young woman had graduated and moved to the West Coast but they were always thrilled to find back each other whenever Hope's daughter stopped by Boston.

"Why don't we never visit her in California? I want to see the studios!"

Fair question. They tended to go more to Europe – with Maura's family being there – than to the rest of the United States.

"What happened to your jeans, Alba? You have a hole in them!" Worried, Maura frowned at the girl and looked at the damage more closely.

"Rollerblades accident." But knowing way too well how her mother would try to catch her for one of her spontaneous medical checkups, Alba ran away and headed back to their house; soon followed by her sister.

Jane swallowed hard, rolled her eyes. "She's in one piece, Maura. Relax. Look at her. Running and not losing an arm on the way. It's okay. Everything's still attached where it should."

The scientist sighed but didn't insist. Alba didn't seem to show any sign of a concussion whatsoever. Besides, she was probably wearing her helmet by then. She always did. "I have an I.Q. of 168..."

The confession floated bitterly in the air. It was not the best timing ever to reveal such thing. Sure, they would have to confront themselves to the news broken by the psychologist but they had a bit of time ahead of them. It didn't have to come up in the middle of the street, on their way back home.

Not missing the implicit feelings of suffering hidden behind such revelation – the weight of such a singular and tough childhood – Jane nonetheless decided to smile. Brightly. She knew that Maura had suffered from all of this, how it was the last thing she wanted their daughter to live.

The exclusion from the other kids.

"There's nothing that could make me happier than knowing our daughters are as smart as you are... Lucie and Alba are unique, just like you. And that makes me proud." Jane paused, bit her lips. Just before they reached the door of the townhouse, she stopped and forced Maura to turn around in her arms. "Be proud of who you are."


	18. Eight and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the reviews! **_

**Chapter Eighteen: Eight and a Half Years Old**

"Hey, Rizzoli! Pass me the sugar, please."

No reply. Nothing. Not a single move from the Italian who kept on sipping her drink, unaware of the request.

Martinez frowned. Was she ignoring him again? Why? After so many years working there in the same building, he had assumed that they had somewhat managed to overcome their past. After all she was married, now. With two kids.

"Silent treatment? Really?" Visibly annoyed, the man passed by her and grabbed the sugar angrily. He hadn't done anything. Not this time. He surely didn't deserve this.

This time, the brunette reacted and took off a pair of ear plugs. "Are you talking to me?"

"What are you doing with these? Must come in handy when interviewing suspects..." Martinez – a smirk on his lips – shook his head at Jane then took a sip of his coffee.

"You should say that again when one of your kids decides to study music. Lucie's choice landed on cello... Cello... Do you have any idea of the torture it is to live under the same roof as a beginner?" Jane pouted, she had simply forgotten to take them off until now.

Martinez chuckled but straightened up and took some distance with Jane as Maura stepped into the room. He had learned fast once both women had made their relation official. Nobody messed with the Chief Medical Examiner of the State of Massachusetts. Nobody.

Unless you were asking to get killed.

"Speaking about music already, I see." The scientist offered a not so genuine smile to Martinez who flew out of the room before she had a chance to add anything else. "Did I say something wrong?"

Adding some sugar to her coffee, Jane rolled her eyes and cast a glance by the door. Korsak had just arrived. Which meant the donuts as well. "You scare him to death, Maur'."

The honey blonde scoffed. She looked amused by the revelation, barely hiding a smile of pleasure. It was not that she saw in Martinez a potential threat but still, having to face her wife's ex on such daily basis was a bit annoying to say the least. "How come? I only made one remark to him... Nine years ago!"

"There are things one can't forget. Your anger is one of them..." Shaking her head and putting the ear plugs in her pocket, Jane walked out of the break room and headed to her desk. Or so. Truth to be told, she was aiming at the donuts before they all disappeared. She knew it was only a matter of minutes.

Maura trotted behind her. Vaguely offended. "What are you insinuating?"

"Nothing. What do you want, Dr. Isles?" With an expert hand, Jane grabbed the last donut and bit in it to make sure that nobody would steal it. Calories mission: accomplished.

Maura squinted her eyes but didn't insist. The BPD was not the right place for a couple crisis at all. It was a workplace and she would strictly stick to it. As usual. Or so. She and Jane might have – at times – shared more than just a lunch in her office and such but they had been discreet.

And it was rare.

"I have to go to Cambridge, this afternoon... Last-minute change of plan. I need a few advices from a specialist of..."

But before Maura had a chance to go any further, Jane raised a hand in the air to interrupt her. "Fine I got it. Alba has her gym class at 4pm and Lucie has music at 4.30pm. Right?" Rhetorical question. She knew their weekly schedule by heart for being the one to write it down every Sunday.

"Yes. Although the coffee shop at the corner of the school of music is closed so there is no place to wait for the end of the class but in the building itself..." Maura made a face. She couldn't lie, barely hide the truth behind periphrasis that didn't work much on Jane anymore.

Bingo.

The brunette gasped and let herself fall on her armchair. "You're kidding? There is no way I listen to fifteen cello beginners for an hour, Maura! You want my death?" And why? Why had Lucie gone so enthusiastically for such instrument? They had a piano, dammit! _Death by cello, Riz'. That's exactly what we'll read on your grave._

Tentative step towards her wife. Timid hand on her forearm. Maura offered an apologetic smile. "It is going to be alright. Although perhaps you should know that there are twenty-two students in her class..."

...

The drive back to Beacon Hill was strangely silent, contrasting with the rest of the time when they came back from Guadalupe and Lisa and the twins tended to be slightly excited for having spent so much time with Haumea. Jane was glad that their respective daughters got along so well in spite of not going to the same school and living quite far from each other. It was important for her.

Haumea represented a huge symbol in her life; same for the little girl's mothers.

And now she had a boyfriend. Scoop of the evening. At nine years old, Haumea had a boyfriend. A freaking boyfriend. What was going on with this world, exactly?

_"They only hold hands and such. It's kind of cute!" _

Mumbling between her teeth as Lisa's words came back to her mind, Jane frowned and looked by the window how the buildings were speeding past in the night. Perhaps it hadn't been such a bad idea to take Maura's car because right now, the Italian was way too troubled to drive.

Haumea was particularly close to Alba which meant her own daughter probably knew about that boyfriend. Yet she hadn't said anything to Jane about it. _She's already plotting against me like a freaking pre-teen. Hiding stuff and shit. Dammit. You're so done, Rizzoli._

"Hey, Al'..." _Play it casual, Riz'. Good, keep it up. _"Has Haumea talked to you about Ben?" No need to say that in spite of the darkness of the streets, Jane felt Maura's heavy gaze on her as her question hit the air; suddenly turning the light atmosphere into something a lot heavier.

Silence.

Alba cleared her voice but didn't seem much bothered in the end. "Yes, it's her boyfriend. He's kind of cute."

Wrong answer. Jane felt her body turn tense in spite of Maura's hand on her hip asking her more or less implicitly to let go of the whole thing. The Italian counted until three in her head, focusing on Lucie's reflection in the window.

Jane knew that there was nothing to worry about with her. Lucie was not interested in dating. Alba, however... It was a whole different story. More and more she openly talked about actors and singers being rather good-looking. It was innocent but Jane knew better: this was a hint to pre-adolescence, with all the things it meant.

"Do you have a boyfriend yourself?"

Maura gasped. Jane had crossed the line. She had gone too far. Not that they had really alluded to it yet but implicitly enough, they respected the twins' life starting with their privacy. To an extent.

Jane was a dreadful spy.

"Why are you asking me that?" With the same casual – way too casual to Jane's taste – tone, Alba moved on her seat and frowned at her mother who had just turned around to look at her.

"Wrong answer, Al'."

"Jane!" Maura snapped her wife's shoulder before focusing back on the road. The traffic was dense. It was Saturday, everyone was out. The streets of Boston reminded her of Calcutta.

"Why I'm just asking! There's no need to hit me. What a beast you are, Maura!" Frustrated to still not have got an answer, Jane settled back on her seat and began to nervously tap with her fingers the door of the Prius. She would never have the patience to wait for Beacon Hill. She had to know. And now. No matter her attitude reminded her way too much of her own mother.

"You can't force Alba to tell you about her life, Jane. This is wrong. Leave her alone..." True enough although if she had to be completely honest, now Maura herself was curious to know the answer.

"And I respect that! It's just that none of you two, girls, ever talk about boys so I'm just wondering... Haumea speaks freely about it to Guadalupe and Lisa. I'd like you to do the same with us. It's not... It's not because we're in a same-sex marriage that we don't know about boys nor care about them."

_Where the hell does that come from, Riz'? Since when do you advance fair arguments without even thinking about them in the first place? You just want to know whether you're supposed to start being worried. Let's face it._

"Oh... Well, I suppose you are right. I am sorry, Jane. I didn't think about that." Looking into the rearview mirror, Maura cast a glance at their daughters. "What Jane has just said is true. We don't want you to feel embarrassed. You can come and talk to us about anything, you know."

Alba broke the uncomfortable silence. "Fine... How is it to French kiss? How do we do that?"

Jane swallowed hard. What on Earth had she just started? "Why do you want to know about that? You're not supposed to do it before at least four more years, Alba Rizzoli-Isles. Am I clear?"

"Jane!"

The brunette gasped and stared at her wife. "What?"


	19. Nine Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews; I will insert an allusion to the whole Martinez thing in an upcoming chapter as asked, no problem.**_

**Chapter Nineteen: Nine Years Old**

As soon as Jane disappeared in the bathroom, Maura's smile melted into a mock of pain and she let herself fall on the floor; succumbing to an atrocious pain.

_Excellent idea you have just had, Isles. Really. Now tell me how you are going to reach the bed. I would be more than glad to hear your tactic. _Ugh. Maura looked up and frowned. She was barely three feet away from her goal but the distance had never looked so important. Clenching her teeth, the scientist began to crawl towards the bed, commando style. Trying to ignore how ridiculous she must had looked doing so.

"By the way, there was this..." Toothbrush in hand, Jane stopped right away as she stepped back in the bedroom only to face her wife on the floor trying to reach the bed. "Is that a new yoga thing?"

Maura stopped – groaned – and let her face rest on the floor, her eyes looking up at the Italian who was now standing next to her. "I might be slightly sore."

And there it came. That laugh she had wanted to avoid at all cost. Vaguely offended, she managed to sit back up and with the energy left, she made it to the bed before falling on the mattress.

"Will you stop making fun of me, Jane? This isn't funny at all."

Horse riding. She had gone horse riding with the girls for the first time in years – if not just decades – and it seemed like she was paying the price now. The mere movement of her legs was killing her – sending a shiver down her spine – and her lower back was not doing any better.

"Alright, sorry. Don't move. I'll be right back." Jane rushed out the room, her giggles betraying her obvious amusement.

Maura pouted – nodded – and tried to move a bit further up on the mattress. "As if I were about to run away at any moment..."

The brunette came back without her toothbrush. She took her jeans off – got rid of her bra through her shirt – then went to grab an ointment on her bedside table. She pulled Maura up to the pillows and settled halfway between her legs.

"So much for my massage skills, right?"

Maura echoed her wife's smile and closed her eyes as Jane's hand slide on inner thigh. "Oh God..." Obviously, she needed to change a couple of things in her habits before the next horse riding class. Or less she would end up in a wheelchair by September.

"We are not that young anymore, Jane..." The medical examiner raised a disillusioned eyebrow. She was doing fantastic in her yoga class. How come a two-hour horse riding session reduced her to a state of near death?

"Why speak for yourself!" Jane smiled, planted a kiss on her wife's sore inner thigh. "But I guess it was not a bad idea I went to work instead of coming with you. Or we'd both be crawling right now on the floor."

"Just... Just don't stop what you are doing. Please, keep it up. Oh boy..." Maura moaned, grinned.

"Jeez, you could at least close the door! This is so wrong..."

Jane snapped her head up – turned around – and blushed heavily. Alba was in the door way, shaking her head at the scene. Misunderstanding, obviously. Yet the brunette couldn't hold it against anyone. She was bent over Maura, focused on massaging her inner thighs. From a distance, it surely looked like something else.

"What?! We are not doing anything wrong, Al'! Someone is sore so I'm just relieving her." _Okay, stop it now, Riz'. You're making it worse and you're traumatizing your daughter. _

"Yeah sure. Lucie might be the genius in this family, I'm not that stupid either, you know."

...

Ten years. It had been ten years since Punta Cana. A whole decade. Why did the time fly by? Taken aback by the realization, Jane frowned and closed her eyes. It was not the right moment to stop and consider the past. She had paperwork to do and a summons to the courthouse to respect.

But she couldn't help it.

Everything was coming back to her mind as if it had happened the day before. The anxiety previous to the moment they had kissed, the weight of consequences on their shoulders as they had dared. It could have made their life break into a thousand pieces but they hadn't cared by then and had tried. Fair enough if she considered their family now.

Trying to not think too much of the delay she was taking in her job, she grabbed her cell phone and typed a message.

_Happy anniversary in five minutes_

It was in five minutes, wasn't it? Suddenly uncertain – yet a bit late considering she had sent the text message anyway – the brunette rushed on Google to check what time it was in Punta Cana. But then she had to add a few hours since Maura was not in Boston right now.

The celebration of their anniversary would have to wait.

_Unless you call it a day and hop on the next plane to San Diego. _Jane squinted her eyes at the idea and pouted, seriously considering the whole thing. _Who are you kidding? Life's not a movie, Riz'... Accept it once and for all. Do yourself a favor._

Last-minute plans required a strong dose of organization, now. Being spontaneous was tough. Who would keep an eye on the girls if she flew on the other side of the country? Her mother? Why not... But then she had to ask her first then make sure everything was fine before packing and driving to the airport and... And why was Maura not replying to her message?

A bit upset, Jane grabbed back her cell phone to check if the battery had died or if she had missed it. Nope, nothing. Odd. _Dammit, you'll see she's sleeping through our ten years anniversary. So much to be romantic, Rizzoli...!_

"Happy anniversary to you as well."

Too focused on her phone, Jane raised a hand in the air to stop her interlocutor talking in her back and shook her head. "Not now, Maur'. I'm waiting for..." And then it hit her. At last. Very slowly, she turned around and blinked as she came to face the honey blonde.

Maura was standing there – in the office – a travel bag by her feet. And that smile making her eyes shine; the one Jane loved more than anything.

"Aren't you supposed to be in California?" Jane frowned at the unusual high-pitch tone of her voice. What was Maura doing here? Unless she had fallen asleep between two reports and was dreaming... Casting a glance around her, she didn't see anything that didn't match reality. Rookies going around, Frost's jacket on his seat while he was in full talk with Korsak a bit further down the room.

"I got a special delivery at my hotel yesterday." As she talked, Maura took a flight ticket out of her bag and waved it at Jane. "It seems like our daughters put all their saving into it to make sure that we would be reunited today." The scientist shrugged, laughed. "It is not as if I couldn't miss the last day of this conference, anyway."

Surprised but finally able to move again, Jane approached Maura and grabbed the flight ticket. "So they bought you something but I get nothing?"

"Oh boy." The honey blonde rolled her eyes and – without any warning – grabbed her wife by the nape to drag her closer for a kiss. There. In front of everyone. Not caring about it. "You get me."

"Get a room, Rizzoli!"

Jane shot a death glare at her colleague. "Shut up, Mahoney!"

All smile – in a too good mood to ever be bothered by anything – Maura grabbed a letter out of her bag and held it out to her wife. "Read this. It came along with the flight ticket."

Her curiosity piqued, the brunette grabbed the sheet of paper and leaned against her desk; not letting go of Maura's waist. She couldn't care less what others would say about it. Today was a special day. It was _their_ day.

_Dear mom and mommy,_

_Mom: you will find a flight ticket to Boston along with this letter because this is were you belong to. We miss you and want you back asap. That and the fact we're tired of eating mommy's gnocci. They are good but ten days of it is a bit too much. _

_Mommy: thank you for the gnocci. We hope that you're happy to have mom back to you for this day that is special for the two of you. We couldn't afford to send you to Punta Cana (Couldn't you kiss in Boston? It would have been a lot cheaper for us) but we nonetheless hope that you'll enjoy your day_

_in spite of not being in the Dominican Republic. _

_Mom and mommy: by the time you both read this letter, you will officially have a day off. Thanks to Lieutenant Cavanaugh, we arranged this for you. There is a room waiting for you at the Ritz. Don't worry, nana will take care of us while you celebrate your anniversary. She also helped us to plan it. We will have a sleep over in the guest house with her. _

_It is our present for the two of you. Enjoy this time away from home to relax and such. They have a spa and there is a bottle of champagne waiting for you (that's what it says on the website)._

_We love you a lot. We really do._

_Lucie and Alba._


	20. Nine and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews and the suggestions that I will do my best to insert in the story.**_

**Chapter Twenty: Nine and a Half Years Old**

The apples had been shiny. The more she looked at them, the more Jane assumed that they had lost of their golden shade. Just like life in general. All of a sudden, everything had darkened over their heads and there they were, now.

Hands crossed on the table in an echo of Maura's posture. Impassive gaze.

Alba's eye was darkening by the second while the stitches Lucie had on her temple contrasted with the paleness of her complexion and made Jane shake of fear.

Because it wasn't anger she was now experimenting. No. Not really. Incomprehension, maybe. But mostly fear. What had happened?

Alba smiled, showing proudly a missing tooth. Jane swallowed hard and stared at her right in the eyes. "There's nothing to smile about. You tried to knock out this girl while your sister choked her."

Alba pursed her lips, frowned. "Yes, I did. And I would do it again if I had to. But this time I would aim right at her pretty face and kick her in the stomach then I would hit there, just behind the knee... Because that's all she deserves!"

Jane cast a glance at Maura. The honey blonde was shocked; her eyes wide opened in fear before the sincerity of their daughter's words.

"Who do you think you are? Rocky Balboa?" The Italian scoffed and repressed herself from any kind of gesture she would regret afterward. "What on Earth?"

Alba shrugged and looked at her sister before focusing on her hands. Somehow, Jane wasn't too surprised of her behavior. It was Lucie who whad taken her aback. She had tried to choke Emily. Some classmate Jane and Maura had never heard about before.

Trying to choke someone. There was nothing innocent in such gesture. Nothing at all.

"What did we do wrong?" Maura's voice made everyone look up, almost surprised to see that she had spoken. Her tone was calm but icy. On the verge of exploding.

The twins didn't reply. Jane blinked.

"What did we do wrong?" The scientist repeated her question and marked a pause. "We certainly didn't raise you this way. When did you assume that this was something good to do? See, I am not angry with you but with myself because obviously, we have missed something in your education. We have failed."

Her words seemed to trouble the twins. For long seconds, they remained still – staring at Maura as if she had lost her mind – and for the first time since Jane had gone to pick them up at school after getting a phone call from the head master, both girls looked guilty.

As they should? Maura bit her lower lip. She needed to understand, to hear the whole story. There was no way she would believe that her daughters were simply violent, just like that. For nothing.

"You haven't." Lucie looked down – embarrassed – then shrugged. Yet she didn't add anything.

To Jane's highest despair. The brunette hated when the girls did that, when she had to force them to talk and open up. She knew that something had happened. It was the first time that her daughters – the two of them – had got into a fight at school. And a big fight, besides.

She sighed, bit her lower lip. "Is this because of a boy?"

Alba rolled her eyes, Lucie hid her face in her hands. "Oh my God, mommy! Do you ever think about something else? You are... Obsessed!" Alba made a face at her very own comment she did find somewhat incongruous considering the context. Her mother was in a same-sex relationship. How could she obsess over guys?

"Then what is it? Why are you staying silent over it? Don't even think we'll give up because we won't. What happened is serious, very serious. We condemn violence and refuse to believe you're... You're some sort of beasts. We don't raise this kind of people under our roof. So tell us what it is!" Jane's fist landed loudly on the table, making everyone jump. She hadn't meant to do that. She had lost her nerves. _What an example you're setting, Riz'. _

"And who is this Emily? I am getting that she isn't your friend but I do hope this was not the reason why you tried to choke her, Lucie!" Maura frowned and stared at her daughter. She didn't even mind about the stitches anymore. She wanted to know the truth and nothing else.

"She said stuff."

Ah. Here they were.

Repressing a smile – it was really not the right moment for that – Jane raised an eyebrow. "Would you mind being more specific? I can say stuff too and surely hope you won't hit me afterward."

But this time, Lucie looked down. Stuck. She cast a glance at her sister who frowned and bit her lip, uncertain.

"We can't... We can't really tell you." Alba looked sorry and sounded sincere. "It's complicated and really not... Err..."

"Don't take it bad, Alba, but it is not the best moment to test my patience so say it now. Right. Now. Understood?"

Maura's voice lowered of an octave. That couldn't last forever. Not with her. She did not like this game the slightest bit. If her daughters thought they were winning time then they were utterly wrong. The more they waited, the worse it was for them.

"But..."

"Alba!" Jane shook her head and regretted her threatening tone. She wasn't good at this. She didn't have Maura's patience; in spite of what the honey blonde could think.

"Dykes. Emily said you were dykes and so that I was one too. Are you satisfied, now?" Succumbing to anger, Lucie began to shake uncontrollably as she held her mothers' gaze with toughness.

It took Jane aback. Lucie was sweet and shy. Or at least in appearance. She hid within herself some of that strength Maura owned quietly; secretly. A lot more than Alba who was loud but not as brave. But beyond Lucie's gaze, it was the words she had used that went straight to the Italian's heart.

She froze, swallowed hard.

Without a word, the brunette turned her head around to look at Maura. The scientist hadn't moved an inch and was staring at an invisible point in front of her; somewhere behind her daughters. Pain covering her face of a blurry veil.

Pain and guilt.

They had never really talked about it, more out of fear than anything else. Somehow, they had just hoped that it wouldn't happen and that everything would go smoothly. All the time. That the twins would never have to face this.

They hadn't been naive, no. Just hopeful.

And wrong.

It was the sentiment of guilt – strong and oppressive – that surprised Jane the most. Lucie and Alba hadn't asked for anything yet they were front row for the critics. Unfair ones but still. They couldn't pretend there was nothing. It was there. Right in their face.

"Nobody insults my family. Nobody."

Lucie's words resounded loud, full of determination. Jane sighed, cleared her voice. "You are right about that but violence isn't the answer. And it will never be. Don't do that. Don't hit anyone. That's when you actually lose the battle. Do you see what I mean?"

Lucie frowned – pondering the words – then shrugged. She didn't look too sure. "Because it makes me look bad?"

Jane nodded and offered a timid smile. The first one since the very beginning. She wasn't mad at all now; or maybe just against herself. She actually felt sorry for her daughters, for what they had had to go through.

"Does this happen a lot? This kind of remarks... Do you face them on a regular basis?" Maura bit her lips and waited for an answer to her question. The twins had never talked about such thing. It was a first.

Lucie shrugged in defeat. "A few times already."

"Oh God." This time, the honey blonde buried her face in her hands and tried to calm down. This wasn't good at all. They would have to call the school, talk to the teachers and head master.

But right now, all she could think about was her daughters.

"Does it bother you? Does it bother you to have two mothers? Do you feel... Different because of it? Excluded, somehow?" The blonde frowned, uncertain she wanted to hear the answer.

"No! You're just our parents. You do the same things as our friends' parents. Except there's no dad around. That's the only difference. The rest is the same. We have the same life as our friends." Alba grabbed her missing tooth abandoned on the table and began to play nervously with it. "But I don't like it when they call you dykes. They make it sound like an insult."

"It shouldn't be an insult because we aren't doing anything wrong."

Both twins nodded, mumbling a vague "I know" before Maura's words. Lucie moved on her seat – rather uncomfortably – and cleared her voice. "Am I a dyke? Am I going to marry a woman too if you did?"

Jane raised an eyebrow in surprise. "It's a bit more complicated than that... However, just because Maura and I are together and we're raising you doesn't mean that you will end up in a relationship with a woman. But if this ever had to happen to you – or to you, Alba – never forget that there is nothing wrong in all that. On the contrary. You should be proud to have found someone who makes you smile. And it's the only thing that matters."


	21. Ten Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all your reactions!**_

**Chapter Twenty-One: Ten Years Old**

"Lucie wants to wear makeup. Alba wants to go to the movies with a boy named Joshua." Maura restrained a sigh and forced a smile instead. Was she fooling anyone? Certainly not her mother, she knew it.

Sitting on the other side of the table, Constance crossed her legs and laughed lightly. "They are ten years old... At their age, you told me that you had had your first kiss."

The remark made the scientist blush. She had almost forgotten about it. For her, turning ten meant going to boarding school and taking distance with an already distant family.

"Anastasia, if I remember well. Did you know that she married a British politician? Bright career." Constance grabbed her glass of Brandy and made the alcohol turn around, its golden shades sliding on the transparent walls. "Who knows, perhaps Joshua will become an eminent neurosurgeon."

Really? Of all times, it was now that her mother decided to make a joke? Maura blinked and cast a glance at the restaurant room.

It was not that she minded about the makeup and the movie date but that made her feel old. Way too suddenly.

Although she should have known better right from the day Lucie had suggested she should wear a sport bra.

"Did they face... Other remarks regarding you and Jane?" Looking concerned, Constance frowned and slightly bent over the table.

They had chosen to let their friends and relatives know what had happened a few months earlier. It was too important to keep it private. They had talked to Lucie and Alba – a lot – and had managed to find the support of the head master and teachers as well.

That was when they had found out that Emily's father had asked for a divorce, leaving his wife for a man. Perhaps it had been an accumulation for the little girl and she had unleashed her verbal violence on Lucie for the twins' mothers reminding her of the reason why her own family was falling down into pieces.

"Not that I know of but it hasn't been easy. We weren't ready for that. Maybe we should have..."

Constance shook her head and interrupted her daughter right away. "Nobody is every ready to face this kind of situation. Don't feel guilty. You are a good mother and you are doing well. Don't forget this." The artist marked a pause, as if bothered by something. "However this makeup thing..."

Maura rolled her eyes – relaxed – and laughed lightly. "She can put on mascara at home on Sunday. We came to this agreement after long minutes of an intense debate. It isn't easy to face her, Lucie – as shy she is – finds excellent arguments every single time. She would be a terrific attorney."

Or a good makeup artist because the truth was that she really knew how put on mascara and apply nail varnish.

"How is Jane taking all these changes?" The amused smile that appeared on Constance's lips made clear that the question had been rhetorical and nothing else.

Maura rolled her eyes. "It is a nightmare..."

...

Pole in the snow, Maura turned around and squinted her eyes at the slope. Where was everybody? It had barely been ten minutes and she had already lost Jane and the twins. The day would be stressing to say the least.

On the verge to grab her cell phone to actually call her wife, the blonde sighed of relief as Lucie and Alba appeared in front of her. Their skiing skills had really improved these past few years. She was proud of them and happy to be able to spend the whole day with them instead of leaving both girls with an instructor.

"Where is Jane?" Taking her sunglasses off – wincing before the bright light reflecting on the pure snow – Maura looked at her daughters and shook her head. She had booked a table for lunch at 1.30pm and if they didn't speed up a little bit, they would be running late.

"She is on her way, eating a waffle." Lucie raised her hands in the air to take some distance with the words she had just pronunced.

In vain.

Maura rolled her eyes, exasperated. "I knew that we shouldn't have stopped by this cart. Of course she was going to buy one..."

And just as she finished her sentence, a snowboard stopped right in front of her nose. Too quickly. The abruptness of the stop splashing some snow right on the medical examiner's face.

"Jane!"

The brunette flashed a bright smile and captured her wife's lips for a stolen kiss. Pitiful attempt to get Maura a bit less angry.

Epic fail. The blonde snapped her partner on top of the head. "You taste of Nutella." Sigh. "Did you really need this waffle? Now?" The detective was worse than a child of ten and that was literal since Maura could easily compare with their daughters.

"Why I was hungry! Skiing is one way to exercize and... Well, it makes me hungry. But hey, aren't we losing time right now? I thought a table was waiting for us." Big mistake. By the stare Maura shot her, Jane understood right away how she should have remained quiet instead.

"You go first. So we make sure we won't lose you again. The slopes are packed, today. Don't stop without telling us..."

Because the last thing Jane wanted to face during their vacation was an argument with Maura, the brunette obliged and sped up to make it on time to the restaurant. It was a beautiful day. The sky was blue - not a single cloud around - and the temperatures warm enough to enjoy a meal on the terrace in spite of the altitude.

"Aren't we supposed to be on the French side of Switzerland? Why do people speak German?" Focused on her stick plunged into the cheese fondue, the detective raised an eyebrow at her wife; waiting for an explanation. It was the first time they went skiing in Europe but not her first trip to Switzerland. Maura's father still spent some time teaching there and owned a cabin in Château-d'OEx.

"Yes and no... The slopes on your right are the German side of the country and the ones on your left the French ones." With the same precision as if she were practicing an autopsy, Maura raised a big stick with bread and cheese at its end and smiled of satisfaction before biting into it.

Jane nodded, not knowing what to add. They had arrived two days earlier and she was still a tad jet-lagged in spite of her numerous travels to Europe. If she kept on eating that much, they would need to rent a helicopter to bring her back to the cabin because she wouldn't wake up from her nap.

"I like it here. Can we move to Switzerland permanently?"

Alba's question might have been innocent, its consequences certainly didn't turn out to be. Maura widened her eyes in panic, knowing beforehand what kind of reation this would stir up in Jane. As planned, the Italian scoffed and let go of her fondue stick.

"Are you insinuating that you don't like Boston?" This was outrageous. The Rizzolis loved Boston. Period. Jane cast a glance around, suddenly relieved that her mother wasn't there with them. Angela would have taken it quite bad.

"No...?" Sensing that something was wrong, Alba looked desperately at Maura for some help. She knew better than to go on Jane's nerves. Even by accident. "It's just that... It's lovely, here."

"And Massachusetts isn't, maybe?" _Jeez, calm down, Riz'. She can have her opinions, dammit. This isn't a Bostonian dictatorship. _"Wouldn't you miss your friends if you lived here?" Now this was a good argument. Satisfied, Jane settled further on her seat and smirked at her daughter.

In vain.

Alba shrugged and bit into a piece of bread covered with cheese. "I would make new ones and still see the ones I have in Boston during the summer or something. No big deal!"

"Do you know that there is a nice hiking trail just at the corner of..."

But Maura's attempt to lighten up the tense atmosphere fell flat as Jane raised a hand up in the air just to make her stop talking. "Save your hiking trail for later. We're having a serious talk with Al' right now."

The honey blonde rolled her eyes. Fantastic. Way to spend a nice day with her family enjoying the Swiss landscape and ski slopes. She did like Boston a lot herself but still, Jane's patriotism didn't always show up at the best moment.

"Oh, I am sure you are, honey. And believe me, you will have all the time in the world to discuss it. Day... And _night_, if you keep it up this way." Maura smiled, the insinuation being explicit enough. Or at least she hoped so.

One, two, three.

Jane scoffed, hissed between clenched teeth. "Really? You're menacing me over..." And quiet. Their daughters were at the table. It was obviously not the best time to discuss their sexual life.

Yet Maura nodded, looking rather detached and blasé. "Exactly."

_You're whipped, Riz'. _Taken aback, Jane turned back to Alba and blinked.

Soon enough, the twins would complain about she and Maura alluding to their couple life but for the moment, they were still rather fine with it. Not paying much attention to it. The calm before the storm, obviously.

Pouting, the detective locked her eyes with her daughter's. Sweet tone: on. "As much as it would be hard for me and Maura to find a job here, I have to agree with you: it is a beautiful country." _But it's not Boston. _Jane swallowed back her comment and sighed in silence. So much for diplomacy. So much for a sex strike threat.


	22. Ten and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the reviews; to the anonymous reviewer, I had said that I would come back on the whole name thing and I chose this chapter to do so.**_

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Ten and a half Years Old**

"Where are the car keys? I had put them on the kitchen counter and they're not there anymore." It was becoming annoying to say the least. Jane sighed. Of course, it was the day she could not afford to be late that this happened.

Focused on a file that required all her attention, Maura shrugged. "How would I know? I have not moved an inch for the past two hours." And by the slow way she was progressing in her work, she seemed to be stuck in for the rest of the day.

Jane sighed in annoyance. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around. What had she done of these damn keys? Visibly troubled, she started rummaging around; swearing between clenched teeth. Great. Awesome. She was going to be late at the courthouse.

"Would you mind being a bit quieter? I am trying to work, here." Not looking up a second, Maura grabbed her tea mug and took a sip. The file she was working on was extremely complex and as if this weren't enough, the senator was waiting for her advice on it within the day.

And it was already 3pm.

Jane snapped her head up – stared at her wife in disbelief – and frowned as if the blonde had lost her mind. "And what do you think I'm trying to do? I can't afford to be late at the courthouse. Not with this judge... This is a house, not an office. If you want quietness then go back to the morgue."

Silence. A cold one.

"Oh, so it is too much to ask – in my own house – to have quietness so I can focus on these texts? Even our ten-year-old daughters are more discreet than you are, Jane. And certainly not as messy. Perhaps if you were more organized then we wouldn't have to clean after you." Maura shot a death glare at her wife and repressed a sigh.

"And be a control freak like you? No thanks." The Italian scoffed and resumed her rummaging now in the kitchen area. "I'm a human being, not a robot of some sort."

"What? Do you think I am a cyborg?" Speechless, Maura stood up and frowned at her wife angrily. Fists clenched on her desk. "At least I don't come to you whining that I have lost my keys as a child of four would!"

Jane squinted her eyes and shook her head. "Oh, the childish card? Really? Now that's low. And not that adult-ish." Turning her back at Maura, she pursed her lips and scanned the kitchen counter. Not before mumbling another "freak" indirectly addressed to her wife.

"Stop it already with the freak thing!"

And there they were. Another argument. Of course. Worst timing ever. But way too stubborn to let go of it, Jane joined in and approached Maura for a loud face-to-face. Because it was what it was in the end. Just that. A five-minute moment trying to yell louder than the other one.

"Stop it!"

A high-pitched voice – full of panic – made them turn silent right away. Lucie was standing by their side; her cello in hand. On the verge of breaking into tears. Her reaction took both women aback. To the point they didn't know what to say.

Sobbing, the little girl bit her lips and swallowed hard. "I don't like it when you fight." Tears began to well up in her eyes. "I don't want you to have a divorce."

"What?" Stunned, Maura cast a glance at Jane before bending over to be at eye level with Lucie. At this exact moment, she couldn't care less about her files – the senator – and the missing car keys. It went beyond that. "But we don't want to get a divorce, honey."

Her sweet tone of voice didn't find an echo in the little girl who kept on sobbing quietly.

"It was just an argument, a silly one. All the couples face them from time to time, Lulu Belle." Jane had also bent over and passed a hand on her daughter's nape. She planted a kiss on top of her head. "We're in love. We don't hate each other or anything."

"Then why don't you stop fighting? You just yell over and over, lately." Worried, Lucie bit her nails and looked up at her mothers. She was scared.

Yet she wasn't lying either. The past few weeks had been stressful at work and it had weighed a lot on Jane and Maura's private life. Too much, perhaps. With a lot of guilt, the blonde straightened up and locked her eyes with her wife's dark ones.

"Amy's parents didn't stop fighting and now they're getting a divorce. I don't want you to have one." Lucie looked down at her feet. She was clutched to her cello.

Jane sighed. She knew what her daughter's best friend's parents were going through. She just hadn't assumed that Lucie would end up comparing them to her own couple with Maura. "I'm sorry, honey. I mean, we're sorry. At no moment we thought that you would feel this way. It's just that work has... It has not been easy lately and we're tense. But it has nothing to do with our feelings."

The weight of guilt pressing on her shoulders and her daughter's tears breaking her heart, Jane stood back up properly and searched for Maura's eyes. She had never felt so bad in her whole life.

...

As his colleague abandoned a golden paper crown on her desk, Frost frowned and grabbed the item in question.

"What is that?" He joined both ends and put it on top of his computer. It did look like a crown but it hardly explained anything at all.

Jane sighed and repressed a yawn. "_La galette des rois. _A French pastry of some sort you have to eat on January, 6th to celebrate the arrival of the Three Wise Men. The school invited all the parents this afternoon for the cake. The thing, there is a tolken hidden in it and the one who finds it in their slice is crowned."

Frost raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to assume that you got it."

Jane smiled. "You have your queen for the rest of the day... Or better said, for the evening and night shift." For once, her schedule had allowed her to take part in the school celebration. She had never seen the girls so thrilled to have her there along with Maura. Lucie and Alba didn't complain much about the erratic work schedule of their mothers but it wasn't easy all the time.

"French schools have weird traditions... Like the way you keep on calling Maura by her name when referring to her with your daughters."

The remark made Jane smile. It always took people aback. "That's more French than a school thing. Maura's been raised this way and it's true that many French parents seem to do it too. I had doubts – at first – but now I'm used to it. The girls never had an issue knowing we both were their mothers... And they don't call us by our names either. It's just one of these cultural things I got used to when getting married to Maur'."

Which was true to the point that she didn't pay attention to these details anymore for them being a part of her daily life. As a matter of fact, she liked it a lot. Sharing the honey blonde's life had got her to discover another culture and she had learned how to embrace it; how to make all these tiny – yet tricky – differences hers. Now she understood a lot better what being open-minded meant.

"But wait... Is this French school catholic that they celebrate the Three Wise Men?" Frost frowned and wrinkled his nose. He knew for a fact that Lucie and Alba were not even christened. Maura did not want to. She had said that the girls would choose their religion when old enough to do so.

If they wanted to choose one at all.

"No, it's not. But... You know, the French!" Jane rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Maura calls that... Awareness. They celebrate plenty of religious holidays although it's mostly linked to homework."

"Homework?"

The brunette nodded. "The kids baked the cakes, today. And they had to work on mathematics stuff to do it. Nice sneaky way to put in some math if you ask me. The teachers are clever ones."

The comment made Frost burst out laughing. He still had some time before seeing his own son go through all of this. His wife had given birth a few months earlier only but he surely had learned a lot thanks to his colleague. "What about your tolken?"

Jane frowned, chewing on a pen. "What? Apart from the fact you'd better watch out if you just don't want to end up at the dentist for having bitten right into it with too much enthusiasm."

"Well, what kind of tolken is it?"

Silence. The brunette shrugged – trying desperately to sweep away the question – and cleared her voice. She seemed embarrassed. Crossing her hands and waiting in vain that a phone call would go and save her from this, she ended up growning.

"A donkey."

Frost blinked. "A donkey?"

Nod. "A donkey. A ceramic donkey. Lucie wanted it so I gave it to her. It's not a dinosaur but at this point I guess she just likes animals; no matter they're still alive or not. The tolken can be anything... This year, I got a donkey."

Frost burst out laughing. "Hahahaha What a symbol it is"

Snap on his shoulder. "You, idiot! It's just supposed to belong to The Nativity scene!"


	23. Eleven Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all your reviews (if two parts in a chapter, they are not necessarily related)**_

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Eleven Years Old**

"What are you doing?" Trotting on her tiptoes to her mothers' bed, Alba cast a glance at the large book Jane was holding and raised en eyebrow in surprise. "A photo album?"

The brunette nodded, smiled softly at her daughter. Maura had been right to insist just after the girls' birth when she had wanted to print a few pictures because now Jane could appreciate the difference with a screen. It didn't look virtual. And it wasn't at all.

"I'm being nostalgic, and sentimental. Can you believe you were so tiny?" To prove her point, Jane pointed at a picture of Alba in her best attempt to crawl on the floor.

The young girl made a face but nonetheless settled next to her mother to have a look. She laughed – frowned – and squinted her eyes at another photography. "What was I doing?"

"This is actually Lucie, not you. And... I guess she was trying to pull on Coco Loco's tail. Poor cat... I can't believe he's still alive after all the things he suffered from the two of you."

"How can you tell it's not me? Even myself I'm not sure." Alba wrinkled her nose and bit her lower lip, just as Maura used to when extremely focused. "It could be me."

"It could... If this baby wasn't wearing Lucie's clothes. Besides, she's always been the one going for Coco Loco. You preferred Bass and Jo Friday. We often wondered what would be left for a third kid if we had one!" Jane laughed lightly, shaking her head as the reminiscence was wrapping her up in a sweet embrace.

"Why didn't we have a sibling?" The question hit the air with all the innocence Alba owned. Her big hazel eyes looked for her mother's, she swallowed hard. They had never talked about that.

Jane pursed her lips. "It didn't work out."

The silence that followed echoed her distress, the pain that had never really faded away when the disappointment of the failed artificial insemination had been known. They hadn't tried anew, hadn't even talked about adoption. Life had just gone on and they had followed it quietly.

And now it was too late.

"Why are you being nostalgic? Usually it's mom who goes all teary over us because she things we grew up too fast."

The remark made Jane chuckle. This was true, although she had her moments herself but was better at hiding it. She missed the twins' early years. It had gone too fast. Even the atrocious moment when she walked on a Lego suddenly seemed sweet, too far in her memory.

"Well... You know I had to go to the doctor, today?"

Alba nodded, suddenly very serious. Scared? Jane frowned. It was the last thing she wanted. There was nothing wrong whatsoever with her. Time was just passing by.

She cleared her voice, not really knowing how to say this. Maura would have done a lot better but she was out with Lucie. _Come on, Riz'. Reassure Alba! _"Do you remember the talk we had a couple of weeks ago about puberty and all?"

A wave of heat rushed up her cheeks. Why? Why on Earth did she have to feel uncomfortable about these things? She was not setting a good example to Alba. It wasn't shameful nor embarrassing.

"You mean about us having our period soon?"

Jane nodded. Well, at least it seemed like her daughter had inherited Maura's easiness to talk about everything without feeling somewhat embarrassed. That was positive.

"Exactly, yes. Well, today I learned that I couldn't have children anymore because it was too late for me. I... I don't have my period anymore." Of all the people she had around her, Jane would have not assumed that Alba would be the first one to know about it. Maura knew about the appointment and – logically enough – she had had chances to be the person Jane would break the news to first.

But no. Instead it turned out to be her eleven-year-old daughter.

"Oh, you hit menopause?" Alba shrugged and proceeded to turn the page of the photo album. "Well this is normal at your age."

Jane blinked. At her age? What the... _Calm down, Rizzoli. She's just trying to help. Actually, look at her. She doesn't give a damn about it. _The brunette bit her lips. True enough. Alba seemed to do as fine as if they had been talking about the weather.

"I'm only fifty-one, Al'. I'm not _that_ old."

The young girl looked up at her mother and smiled. "Of course, you aren't. But isn't it supposed to happen around this age? That's what mom told us when we had that talk." Alba shook her head in confusion.

_Thank you, Maur'. Really. _For long seconds, Jane stared at her daughter with uncertainty. As much as it was not intentional, Alba was surely not helping right now. "It is, indeed. I... Well, never mind. Let's have a look at all these pics instead, okay?"

The rest of the day turned out to be slow, sweet enough. Although perhaps for once, Jane wouldn't have minded a bit of adrenalin to get her focused on something else than the news her OB/GYN – as sweet as she was – had broken in the morning. As much as she knew that it had to happen, she was not prepared for it; for all the feelings it made rush to her mind, plunging her into an ocean of strong insecurities.

Now it was official. She would never give birth to anyone.

It had been clear for a while already – she wasn't stupid – but the fact it was now written on paper and medicine confirmed it brought a completely different dimension to it. For the first time, it did sound realistic. Bitterly realistic.

Maura called her in the afternoon between two appointments to know how it had gone; just as Alba had left to spend the rest of the day at her friend's. Over the phone. After long seconds of hesitation, Jane had let her wife know.

They had reached a new stage of their life and it was odd.

"You aren't sleeping yet?" Maura walked into the bedroom and smiled at her wife. It was late and she hadn't expected Jane to still be up when coming back home.

"I was waiting for you." Clutched to a pillow, the brunette welcomed the kiss on her lips with a lot of pleasure and relief. She had missed Maura more than any other day.

The honey blonde settled on her side of the bed and took Jane in her arms. She closed her eyes, let the heat of her wife's body pass underneath her skin to make her relax after a long day outside.

"How are you feeling?"

Jane looked up. A smirk began to play on her lips. "It's not the end of the world..." As much as she rolled her eyes, her tone of voice betrayed her deepest feelings. She shrugged. "I don't know."

"You should have told me..." Maura bit her lower lip – ran a hand through Jane's hair – then planted a kiss on her forehead.

The Italian had kept it all for herself; the signs that – maybe – she was now starting menopause and truth to be told, Maura took it bad somehow. Wasn't she supposed to be the one Jane confided in?

"What for? You would have been able to prevent it from happening, maybe?" The brunette shook her head and settled in her wife's arms. She just wanted to cuddle. Nothing else. She wanted to be with Maura, spend the rest of the night against her. Feel how much she was alive.

"I have something for you. I picked them up at the hospital gift store after my last meeting." Maura turned around – grabbed an envelope she had abandoned on the bed next to her – and held it out to Jane.

The Italian frowned, her curiosity piqued. "What is it?" But seeing Maura wouldn't talk, she simply opened the envelope and took three greeting cards out of it. In spite of her obvious confusion, she read the first one out loud.

_Congratulation on the promotion_

She blinked twice – looked at Maura – and couldn't help laughing out loud, soon joined by her own wife who settled better next to her, pointing out at the second one. Jane read it as well.

_Happy graduation_

It must have seemed silly but it was one of the funniest – sweetest – attention Maura had ever had for Jane. Or at least the detective thought so. And so much for the blonde to not be too literal either.

_Thanks for the lovely moment_

As she read the third one, Jane frowned; confused. She didn't really get the whole menopause thing here. "What is this one for?"

A suggestive smile played on Maura's lips as she quietly passed a leg between her wife's and let her knee caresss the brunette's inner thigh. Her hand drawing invisible circles on her thighs.

"This is what I am planning on saying tomorrow morning after the night we are about to have..." As she passed on top of Jane, Maura's laugh melted in her wife's before disappearing in the quietness of a sigh. The eagerness of a kiss. The feeling to be with the right person, at the right time.


	24. Eleven and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all your reviews!**_

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Eleven and a Half Years Old**

Not really convinced, Jane pouted and grabbed the piece of clothing to have a closer look. It was cute. Very cute. Too cute.

"There is lace on it." _You sound like ma', Riz'. You. Sound. Like. Ma'. _Well and so what? Perhaps her mother hadn't been that wrong all along and she was now realizing it.

Maura shrugged, a bit disarmed. "I know but then she didn't want the one with the little hearts on it. She said it looked too 'little girl'. This one isn't sexy either. It is just a thin ribbon of lace on top..."

Silence. Another pout. What was she supposed to say, anyway? Rolling her eyes, Jane finally let go of the whole so-called debate and put the bra back on the kitchen counter. "As long as they don't go for transparent, kinky stuff..."

If she had to be honest, the real issue wasn't the piece of lingerie in itself but the fact her daughters wanted to wear a bra. That threw them in a brand new dimension and she didn't like that. It might make her sound like her mother but she couldn't care less anymore: her babies were growing and she hated that.

"It looks so tiny. See? That's the proof they don't need it!" But as Maura's gaze – full of wisdom and reproach – landed on her, Jane raised her hands in defeat. "I know, I know."

"Perhaps they won't like wearing one and will give up for a little while before going back to it on a more permanent basis." The hopeful smile that played on the scientist lip echoed Jane's lack of real enthusiasm on the matter. Obviously, Maura wasn't thrilled either at the perspective. "I had no idea until now that these pre-teen sections had push-up bras. This is so wrong."

Grabbing back her beer and leaning against the sink, Jane widened her eyes in horror. She was glad Maura had accepted to go lingerie shopping with the girls. It was not her thing and she preferred to do pretty much anything else with their daughters. On Wednesday, she had planned on taking them to get their ears pierced. That suited her a lot more. She would have gone madly conservative at the lingerie shop. She knew it.

"What kind of parents accept to buy push-up bras for their eleven-year-old daughters?" Not her, this was sure. At times she wondered if she weren't too strict; too paranoid as well. She could not help it. It was a side-effect of her job. She had seen too many things to not get worried when the twins were out, even at school. But at least she knew that their daughters were reasonable enough, now.

And hopefully adolescence would not change it too much.

"Hey!" All smile, Lucie stepped in the kitchen and offered Jane her best angelic gaze. "So you know I was thinking about the whole ears pierced... May I have two holes instead of one in the lobe? I am sure that it would look so much better, so much more balanced."

Knowing better than to say anything, Maura repressed a smile and pretended to get busy taking the tags off the bras. Yet she was eager to hear Jane's reply. Lucie had no idea what she had just asked.

"Oh sure, honey!" Enthusiastically, the brunette approached her daughter and grinned. "But do you want to get it before or after your belly piercing and your brand new tattoo?" Her smile disappeared right away along with her sugar tone of voice. "Don't even dare to ask again or the only thing you'll see pierced will be the air when I start yelling at you."

Lucie rolled her eyes – sighed dramatically – but turned on her heels nonetheless only to be stopped by Jane.

"Hey! You forget your bras." The Italian made a face. She would definitely need a lot more time to accept the idea. It just didn't sound right for the moment.

Lucie cast a glance at the kitchen counter before shaking her head. "These are Alba's. I am not _that_ flat chested, thank God."

"Get over it, Lu'. We're twins. We're exactly the same." Rolling her eyes at her sister's comment and not bothering much about their mothers' confused gaze on them, Alba stepped in the kitchen to grab the pieces of lingerie. She stopped while reaching Lucie. "We started wearing sport bra at the same time. Look down at you. You're as flat as I am."

Gasp. "No, I'm not!"

Snort. "Yes, you are."

Offended, Lucie trotted after her sister yelling her disagreement away.

...

For a few seconds, Jane wondered if Maura was panting or on the verge of passing out. It was the first time she saw her wife so red and sweaty; leaned on the counter, looking for support.

A hand on her hip.

"She... She goes fast!" Vague motion of the hand in her back where Alba – fresh as a daisy – was ordering two fruit juices, nicely talking to the bartender of the Division One Cafe.

Jane chuckled but stopped right away as the honey blonde shot her an icy glare. "I told you she ran fast. Mind you, Lucie too. Going for a jog with them is not a walk in the park. I thought you would find me back crawling on the sidewalk last Sunday when the three of us went out for a run."

Trying desperately to straighten up, Maura winced in pain and began to massage her calf. What had she accepted, exactly? This was Hell. Stretching as much as she could – looking for a way to let her daughter accept to come back home with a taxi ride – she heavily sighed.

"There was a time when they were the ones trying to catch back on us, Jane. I know that what I am about to say goes against my beliefs in science but... I hate the passing of time. I despise it. I hate it with a passion. You have no idea how... Hey, you!" Her mock of pain melted right away in a smile – a forced one – as Alba approached with two fruit juices in hand.

"I was thinking that maybe we could run through Boston Common before going back home." Joyful enough, the young girl took a long sip of her drink and smiled at her mothers.

Silence.

Maura swallowed hard. "But we did it already on our way here. How about we take by the Theater District instead?" This wasn't a question but a plea. Just that. A freaking plea.

"But it considerably shortens the run!" Confused, Alba raised a dubious eyebrow before frowning. She was not even sweating the slightest bit.

Maura shrugged, trying to look and sound innocent. "Oh, barely."

"Dr. Isles-Rizzoli?" A young woman approached the group and smiled politely. "I am sorry to come to you on your day off but Senior Criminalist Susie Chang is sending me..."

_This is your only chance to have an extra ten minutes of rest, Isles. Don't waste it. Go, go for it and now! _"Don't be worried, this is perfectly fine. How can I help you?"

"Would you mind coming to the morgue for a few minutes? I am really sorry. We would need your advice on a very important point..."

Hiding her smile of victory, Maura turned around to apologize to her daughter and started walking towards the door; wincing in pain.

"Al', it's not nice to try to kill the woman who gave birth to you..." Jane smiled at her daughter and shook her head before bursting out laughing as the young girl pretended to protest. "She had a very tough labor, you know. Actually, she even passed out."

"She what?!" More than surprised, the twin looked back at the door through which Maura had just disappeared.

"Yeah, she went to Narnia while they were taking you and Lucie out. But don't tell her I told you... There's no need to stir up a family crisis that close to Thanksgiving. That's what Christmas is for."

Amused, Alba shook her head and grabbed a plastic spoon to chew on it absentmindedly. "Okay then I will slow down on our way back home. And I draw a line under the Boston Common option. Got it!"

"Good girl." Jane planted a kiss on top of her daughter's head and smiled to nobody but herself. She knew that adolescence was showing up little by little – and that it wouldn't be easy – but so far, she thought that they were doing pretty well.

Yes. She and Maura were great parents.

"But I have to say it was pretty funny to see her desperately try to keep it up with me. What can I say? The young ones will always win over the old ones haha!"

At times, Jane wondered how Alba could actually look like her so much while she hadn't given birth to her and was not biologically linked to the young girl. But these extra comments she should have kept for herself were definitely a Rizzoli signature.

"Old ones?" Cold tone of voice. Letting the works sink in, Jane raised an eyebrow at Alba; pursed her lips. "You do realize that I am two years older than Maura, right?"

Suddenly realizing her mistake, Alba opened her mouth to reply but remained quiet and cast a rather disarmed glance around. "Oh..."

Jane nodded, bit her lips. "Let's pretend this hasn't happened."


	25. Twelve Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for the suggestions and reviews.**_

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Twelve Years Old**

Maura knocked timidly on Lucie's door and walked into the bedroom; all smile. Uncomfortable – vaguely embarrassed – but nonetheless enthusiastic. Unless it was curiosity and she refused to even recognize it.

"You are already back home?"

Sitting on her bed and drawing some sketches in silence, the young girl nodded at her mother and – politely enough – made some room for Maura to settle there as well. But she remained silent which certainly didn't help the honey blonde. Lucie was nice but shy and not very talkative. Introverted. It was not easy to get her to speak out when needed.

Like now.

"How was your date?" Maura made a face. She had been awfully direct, and tactless. They had been very surprised - with Jane - when Lucie had announced that she would go to the movies with a boy but now that it had happened and her daughter was back home, the medical examiner wanted a debrief.

It was so much easier with Alba who didn't keep anything for herself for more than five seconds.

Lucie shrugged and held a pillow tighter in a protective gesture. "I don't know."

The answer took Maura aback. She hadn't expected that. Not at all. "What do you mean? Was he not nice with you? You didn't have fun? Or the movie was just bad...?" She winked at the last question more in an attempt to release the tension and passed an arm around her daughter's frame.

"No, it went just fine but... I don't know. Maybe I'm different. Maybe I'm not like the other ones."

Maura frowned. This time, her curiosity was piqued but for a completely distinctive reason. She did not like the sound of her daughter's confession, the way it highlighted a latent pain Lucie should not have been feeling.

"What do you mean, honey?" Sure she was shy but she had no social issue either. Maura was certain of that. Lucie had friends and had a strong temper in spite of the appearances. She was a leader, but in her own way. Sweetly enough.

"I don't know. Look at Alba and all the girls. They're all about boys and how cute they are. I'm not... I'm not like that. I don't care much about all this. Nothing thrilling happened this afternoon. We just went to the movies. I... I don't know. I guess I don't like dating."

Maura couldn't help but smile. Her daughter's explanation was genuine, sweet in all its uncertainty.

"You are barely twelve years old, Lucie. You are very young. Just because other girls of your age – your sister included – go all crazy over boys doesn't mean that you have to feel the same. Trust me, one day you will meet someone you will like a lot and then you will be glad to do things with this person. In the meantime, enjoy what you like doing. It doesn't have to be dating. Don't try to fit in the crowd just for the sake of it. Be yourself, honey."

The young girl seemed to ponder the advice and finally offered a half-convinced nod. "It's not easy. I'm already different because of my I.Q."

Perhaps she should have come up with a long speech – suggest her daughter to see a specialist – but for once Maura trusted her instinct and simply took Lucie in her arms for a long hug. She knew way too well how the young girl felt. Sadly, she didn't have much of a relieving answer to bring.

...

"I want to be a cop."

Jane paused – looked up at Alba – then shook her head vehemently. "No, you don't." She pointed at the stack of paper on her desk. "And this is why. There's a lot of paperwork to do. You'd hate that."

But the young girl shrugged – feigning to not be impressed – and got her chair closer to her mother. "That's fine. I want to do just like you and uncle Frankie. I want to chase bad guys too."

"I put my veto on it. You won't be a cop. End of the conversation, thank you."

Gasp. "You can't do that! I'm free to choose the job I want to do! Why don't you want me to work at the BPD? You don't like your job?" Pouting, Alba crossed her arms on her chest and settled further – a lot further – in her seat. Angrily.

Jane rolled her eyes. She hadn't minded about her daughter spending a part of the afternoon with her since she was stuck doing administrative tasks but if the day turned into a confrontation, it would be a nightmare quite soon.

"Because it's dangerous and I don't want my daughter to risk her life every day like that." _Wow, now you do sound like ma'. _"You're not immortable, Al'. You have no idea what this job's about."

No way. There was no way that she would accept one of her daughters to join here. It was not really surprising. Many cops didn't want their children to go through what they saw themselves every day. Despite the compliment in disguise, reality was stronger. A lot stronger.

"You wear glasses anyway. You wouldn't pass the medical exam." Jane repressed a smile. First time ever she felt grateful towards her daughter's bad eye sight. "You'd be a great social worker though. You care about the others. Or a nurse?"

Alba frowned and wrinkled her noise. "But these jobs suck!"

This time, Jane dropped the pen she had been holding all along and properly turned around to face her daughter. She blinked. Blank face. "Since when helping people in need sucks?"

"That's not what I mean but it's not as cool as being a cop. Jeez, you should agree. It's your job! And I think it's a really cool one."

"It's not a _cool_ job, young lady. It's a tough one; with a lot of responsibilites, stress and risk. I love it but believe me, at times when I walk on a crime scene or face a suspect who doesn't show the mere remorse then I really wonder what went wrong with me that I felt like spending most of my days at the exact place where the dark face of our society is gathering." She had spent too many years here to forget what she had witnessed; from children savagely murdered to the decadence of colleagues – bright ones – who had reached their limits. Many succumbed to alcohol, after a while.

Would it be the same for her? Jane swallowed hard.

"It's not against you, Alba. But I can assure you that you have a very idyllic vision of my job that is really far from reality." Pause. "How about you do your homework, now? You have some free time ahead of you. Take advantage of it to do it. Frost is on vacation, you can sit at his desk. But please, don't touch his doll. He's mad whenever someone does that."

"Action figure."

Jane looked up – surprised – at her daughter. Alba shrugged and went to sit at the desk. She took her belongings out of her backpack and sighed.

"That's what he always says. Uncle Frankie too."

The Italian made a face. Great. Her daughter had been corrupted by her brother and her colleague. But seeing how Alba was now ready to focus on her homework, she didn't insist and decided to go back to her own tasks. As boring as they were.

Luckily, her cell phone came to the rescue soon enough. Feeling slightly guilty to postpone again all these reports, she grabbed the device and opened Maura's message.

_It just crossed my mind, can you stop by the supermarket/pharmacy tonight to buy lubricant?_

_Thank you_

Jane choked on her coffee, her face turning red as she caught the attention of the first person she didn't want to notice anything: Alba.

The young girl raised an eyebrow, somewhat worried. "Are you okay?"

Nod. Cough. Without adding a word, the brunette typed a reply and sent it. What a timing Maura had chosen. One more time. Although at least she hadn't come upstairs to ask in person for it. And Jane knew that she could do that. In front of Alba.

_Please tell me it didn't cross your mind in the middle of an autopsy._

"Maura wants to me stop by the pharmacy, tonight. We're running out of err... A few things." Smile on, Jane tried to sound as casual as she could and barely held back a sigh of relief as Alba nodded – satisfied – and focused back on her homework. Another text message came in.

_You would be surprised to see how a brain seems to be as lubricated as a vagina_

"Oh God." Jane hid her face in her hands – tried to find a semblance of composure – and took a deep breath. This time, she decided to ignore Alba's confused gaze on her.

_Are you insane, Maura? Stop it already! I just had a cinammon roll. _

_It'd be nice if it'd stay down._

"I err... Do you want a soft drink? I'm going to get some more coffee. I won't tell Maura about it, no worries." So much for water and fruit juices. A soda wouldn't kill Alba for once. Jane stood up and waited for an answer before heading towards the vending machine. With her cell phone.

_I was not in the autopsy room but in my office. _

_However... Did you know that the vagina natural lubricant contains an organic compound called squalene that is also found in sharks?_

Jane blinked, uncertain of the way she was supposed to take such piece of information. Maura had entered her life almost twenty years earlier and truth to be told, she still managed to take the Italian completely aback.


	26. Twelve and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the suggestions; I will think about the retirement thing, by the way. **_

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Twelve and a Half Years Old**

The door got closed and all of a sudden, their life stopped; the cheerful atmosphere of the day, the excitement of the last hours. Feeling a bit dumb – lost – Jane turned around and looked at Maura by her side. The blonde seemed to be in the exact same state, still holding her digital cam. At least they would have some pics. Lucie and Alba had refused to have them around at the school party but they still had managed to immortalize the moment after long minutes of settling a plan to succeed.

The twins were growing up and had now decided that they hated being on pictures. Or at least from their mothers' because Jane knew way too well that they did enjoy taking selfies with their friends.

She had investigated on the matter. Others would have called it spying but whatever.

"It's not really a prom..." The Italian made a face at her own remark. Who was she trying to fool? It was a prom, in spite of the fancy French name the school had given to the event. She would go and pick them up at 10.30pm.

It included dresses – punch – and dances. It was a prom. A terribly classic one, besides.

But Maura didn't insist. Instead, she turned around – abandoned her digital cam on top of her desk – and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine. With two glasses in hand, she made her way to the couch and sat down there. Jane joined her right away.

"What are we supposed to do, now? It is 5.30pm..." Pause. "And what really happens at these little parties? You know that I have never been to a prom or whatever you want to call it."

The brunette wrinkled her nose and poured a large amount of wine to her wife. Alcohol would be a big requirement, tonight. "Err... Nothing special. I mean not really at this age anyway."

Maura nodded evasively – accepted the drink – and focused on a magazine that Lucie had left just on top of the coffee table. A typical teen publication with faces of singers and actors that the blonde barely knew. She started leafing through it.

"Besides, they don't even have a date. Good girls."

Maura rolled her eyes. Jane was becoming obsessed over the whole boy thing. Way too much. "Yes sure... As if nothing could happen once there. You need to get over it, you know."

Jane scoffed but preferred to drown the start of an argument in the glass of wine she was holding a bit too tightly to not reflect her current state of mind.

"How far would you go in bed..." Maura squinted her eyes, an amused smile playing her lips.

"After almost fourteen years together, I'd assume that you would know by now."

The medical examiner chuckled and shook her head pointing out with her index finger at the teen magazine she was holding. "It is a test. Let's do it, it could be fun!"

Jane made a face, showing her obvious lack of enthusiasm. And then it hit her. Without any warning she rushed to the page and almost ripped it off Maura's hands. "Has Lucie taken the test? Where are the results?! Or Alba. We know how she's a lot more into boys than her sister. Oh god do I really – but really – want to know about it...?"

"Don't be a beast. All you are going to get is the obligation to buy a new copy for Lucie because you will have completely destroyed it. Let me see... She is... Quite adventurous. Somewhat balanced... Satisfied?"

Jane widened her eyes at her wife as if Maura had lost her mind. She scoffed. "Of course not! Jeez, nice way to learn that my daughter is – or would be – a tigress in bed. Really."

Settling further on the couch – slightly leaning against Jane – Maura didn't insist and grabbed a pen instead; ready to start the test. She cleared her voice. "Question one: your lover suggests you it may be time for the two of you to spice up your late night activities. How do you react? A. Sex toys? No thanks. B. Who knows, perhaps it is worth the try. C. You are already ordering on line a few things you had noticed in the past."

Jane blinked and looked blankly at her wife. "I really need to answer a question about sex toys?"

After thirteen years of marriage, this should have been a no-brainer for Maura. Honestly, did they not know each other by heart, now? The honey blonde rolled her eyes before Jane's attitude.

"As a matter of fact, I am not sure you belong to any category. I can discard the first one but then I would say that you are somewhere in between the two others. Hmm..." Biting her thumb nail in an effort of concentration, the scientist pouted.

"Err excuse me? How could I fit in the 'maybe it's worth the try'? As far as I know – and something tells me you should be aware of it – I have overcome the novice level here."

"Of course, as much as we don't use any kind of sex toy that often, mind you... But let's be honest, I am the one buying them. Not you." Chewing on the pen, Maura shrugged and was about to go for a cross on the B. answer when Jane stopped her.

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Are you insinuating that I am – somewhat – uptight?"

So much for a quiet evening trying to forget that her daughters might have been making out with a couple of acne-aficionado boys right now.

Maura raised an eyebrow but took her time before replying. "Well, I don't think this is the adjective I would use. However, you have to recognize that I am the one making the first step most of the time. With or without the introduction of... Scenarios and additional adult items."

Jane gasped, visibly offended. "This is such a lie, Maura Dorthea Isles-Rizzoli! I am certainly not a passive little pillow princess!"

"Who said you were? Your sexual behavior is simply a tad less daring than mine."

Without replying to the last attack, the Italian grabbed her tablet and furiously began to type on it; in silence. Intrigued, Maura bent over the screen and squinted her eyes.

"What are you doing? We aren't done with the test. There are nine questions left."

Jane scoffed. "Bullshit. See? I so am on a sex shop page looking for something UPS'd better deliver within the hour to prove you how _daring_ – and that's the word you used – I am."

Repressing a laugh, Maura offered a quiet mock at her wife. "Maybe doing this test was not such a bad idea in the end..."

"What do you want? This is on me, literally and not so literally. Come on, tell me." Jane smirked as she felt her wife come closer to her. "We'll see who's daring and who's not after this."

"This isn't a contest, you know."

But before Maura had a chance to add anything else, Jane's laugh stopped her immediately. "I see... Backing off already? Chicken!"

The honey blonde's smile melted into a mock of annoyance. If there was something she didn't like, it had to be this kind of remarks towards her. Competitive spirit: on. Challenge: accepted.

"Fine. Show me what they have in store that we don't already have." Not that they had a lot now she thought about it. Basics, mostly. "Click on the outfit section..."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "What for? I have a cop uniform and you have a white coat. Two fantasies for the price of one."

Maura stopped – as if pondering the words her wife had just said – and smiled, licking her lips. The evening was definitely taking a very interesting turn. And they still had a lot of time before 10.30pm when Jane had to leave to go pick the twins.

"Would you still think that your BPD uniform is ugly if I wore it... My way...?"

Jane frowned and bit her lower lip. "Your way?" She couldn't help chuckling. This time, Maura had definitely discarded the magazine. Who needed teen material when you could have the adult deal?

"Well... I could put the pants on, as well as the jacket... And skip the rest, like the blouse and the bra or just any kind of underwear..."

Jane swallowed hard. Alright. How come they had never thought about that before? _Who cares? It's really not the right time to throw in a retrospective about what you did and did not. _She was not the kind of person into role play that much but there was something appealing – exciting – in that idea Maura had just suggested.

Really exciting.

The blonde took her wife's silence for a yes and not before having captured Jane's lips in a full of promises kiss, she stood up then walked to the stairs. Hand on the banister, she stopped for a while and turned around to wink at the brunette.

"Feel free to pour some more wine into my glass in the meantime, honey."

Jane nodded and obliged. If every prom night turned like this one, she was definitely going to ask for more of them to the school right after the weekend.

"Oh... And Jane?"

The Italian raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Maura shrugged, smiled brightly. "If this isn't the proof that I am the daring one then I don't know what it is."

Maura 1 – 0 Jane.


	27. Thirteen Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews!**_

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Thirteen Years Old**

"Is this your way to try to fit in? If so I can assure you that you are fitting in the wrong crowd. It is utterly disappointing." Maura took a deep breath and bit the inside of her mouth to repress a thick wave of anger.

The whole situation was taking her aback. Completely.

Jane – who had remained surprisingly quiet until now – crossed her hands and straightened up; her dark eyes piercing through Lucie's hazel ones. "Where did you get them?" Silence. "I said: where – and you'd better answer now – did you get them?"

Or else what? She had never slapped any of her daughters and didn't want to start now. In spite of it all. Casting a glance at the pack of cigarettes on the table, the brunette squinted her eyes and tried to understand.

Lucie shrugged. "It's not very complicated to get some from other teens."

Her nonchalance went on Maura's nerves. Lucie had changed, physically. She was not a little girl at all anymore. She looked like an adolescent; a young woman. Who was barely thirteen years old though.

"Since when do you smoke?" The honey blonde frowned. Was she supposed to warn the school? It seemed ridiculous enough. As much as tobacco was bad, Jane hadn't found stash either.

But still.

"I don't really smoke. I just wanted to try. Have you never tried?" Lucie asked, innocently. She was not being insolent yet she didn't look remorseful either. She seemed calm, not caring much about it.

Maura cleared her voice and looked aside, uncomfortably. "This is not the question. However I can easily tell you that I have never owned a pack of cigarettes. Even less at your age."

Jane frowned at her wife's semi-confession. She had no doubt that Maura might have tried a lot of different things as a teenager but not cigarettes. It was too unhealthy for the blonde. "I don't really care whether you smoked one or twenty. The point is, you went for it. And that's wrong."

The door of the patio flew open and Alba came in, carrying a basket ball. She made a few steps in and stopped – her smile freezing – as she noticed the obvious tension at the table.

"What's going on?"

Long silence. Jane sighed, motioned at the chair next to Lucie. "Sit down."

The teenager obliged – knowing better than to protest – but made a face. "I haven't done anything wrong." Her eyes stopped on the pack of cigarettes. "Hey! That's not mine!" Her flawless nails – perfectly manicured – hit the table to start marking a nervous pace.

Jane looked down at her daughter's hands. Alba's fingers were long and thin. With nail varnish on. Transparent one but still. Had she grown up too fast?

"Drop this tone, Al'. Who do you think you are?" Now that was harsh but the Italian didn't mind. It had to go that way. She wasn't here for a laugh. Not at all. "Here we are thinking we're raising two Einstein when we're actually raising two Snookies."

"Who?" Alba frowned, lost.

"Never mind." Maura grabbed the pack of cigarettes and began to play with it. Nervously. "Do you want to see what this does on lungs? Don't you know where it can lead? Cancer is not a myth. You are the daughters of a medical examiner, for Christ's sake. You should know how bad it is!"

"But I haven't..."

Jane's fist landed on the table. "Shut up, Alba! We know it's not yours but that doesn't mean you are not concerned by the talk!" Great. The brunette made a face. She was losing her nerves. "You don't know what we went through to have you – the two of you – and this is how you thank us. Drop that tone and you – Lucie – tell us what you're thinking about trying next. Cocaine?" Jane was exaggerating and she knew it but she couldn't care less anymore.

Lucie shook her head and looked down at her lap. She seemed to feel guilty but it didn't satisfy any of her mothers. It was not incidental. As long as they didn't put the finger on the reason why a pack of cigarettes had landed in the pocket of her coat, Jane and Maura wouldn't feel alright.

"Am I grounded?"

Maura looked at Jane, suddenly disarmed. They had never really grounded any of their daughters – and truth to be told – she had no idea what to do now. They wouldn't let go of it like that obviously but then they needed to find something constructive. In correlation with whatever was going on in Lucie's mind.

"No. You're gonna get a medal for it." Jane scoffed and shook her head. "Go to your room. You too, Alba. Go get ready for lunch. The rest of the family'd be here within an hour, now." Awesome timing.

Both twins stood up and turned around, heading towards the stairs. Alba mumbled to her sister – too loud to be discreet and remain unheard from her mothers – between clenched teeth. "The hell, Lu?"

For long minutes, Jane and Maura remained silent and still. They had plenty of things left to do and were running out of time before the Sunday family lunch. But the pack of cigarettes had put a rather abrupt end at their frenzy morning.

"Were you a smoker or you just tried?" Jane's hoarse voice resounded low, full of curiosity. At times she had the feeling to not know Maura; to have missed a huge part of her wife's life. They alluded to it from time to time but the Italian always had the feeling that the blonde was talking about someone who had very little to do with the person she had married.

"A girl had managed to introduce a pack at school. It had been the highlight of the week. I had been so proud when she had given one to me... Not because it was tobacco but because for once, another classmate was acknowledging me."

Jane nodded, a pale smile playing on her lips. Hesitation floated for a few seconds before she gave in. "I smoked. For three months... When I was sixteen." Shaking her head, her brow furrowed soon caught back by reality and the time being. "I thought it would be different for Lucie and Alba... We were not following my parents' education. I thought we were handling it better than them. Don't get me wrong, they're great parents, but there are some things that weighed a lot on me and I surely did not want to reproduce it with our daughters. But why? Obviously it doesn't change anything."

"Adolescents will go through these experimental stages no matter what. Or at least most of them... It is a mere cognitive reaction. Now that doesn't mean we have to excuse it." Maura stood up and passed her arms around Jane's shoulders before planting a supportive and comforting kiss on her temple.

"What do you suggest? No cell phone for a month? It's ridiculous. She needs to learn her lesson and stop trying to fit in like that desperately."

The medical examiner nodded and walked to the kitchen. They had a meal to prepare and an anger to soothe. There was no need to ruin this Sunday either. Relatives were coming. They had to adjust. And now. Even her mother would be here and – no matter what the blonde could say – Constance did have a sharp eye.

She would notice that something was wrong right away.

"What did make you stop?" Pack of flour in hand, Maura looked up at Jane and sighed. She could not pretend that nothing had happened. The sentiment of parental failure felt heavy on her mind.

"Oh, I got broke. And we got that visit at the hospital – held by the school – to show us all the kind of damage lung cancer can cause. That did it for me. That and wisdom, of course." Jane winked.

The issue for her was not that Lucie had given it a try but her age. She was awfully young. What would she do when she turned sixteen, then? That was the scary part.

And Lucie of all people. Until now, she had been a perfect model. Too much? Was she in distress and they couldn't see it?

Without adding anything, Jane stepped into the kitchen and grabbed a dish. The house was silent and it was weird. She hated it. There should have been music, the twins going on around. Asking clothing advices, setting the table up.

Teasing each other.

"We made it into adolescence with a loud bang." Maura cast a glance at the pack of cigarettes and made a face. The cute childhood phase was gone. Confrontation was waiting for them. She hated it. Such perspective dragged her down.

"May I help?" Timidly – wearing proper clothes to welcome the family – Lucie stepped in the room and looked up at her mothers.

Jane raised a surprised eyebrow. She hadn't expected the young girl to come back here any time soon after the tone she had used against her and her sister. Taken aback, the detective cleared her voice and nodded.

"Maura is preparing the _filet mignon_. How about you take charge of the pecan pie?" Her hoarse voice floated timidly above their heads. She felt uncomfortable. Unfinished. They still hadn't got any idea of the way they would solve the pack of cigarettes issue but was it a reason to stop living too? Not really, no.

Lucie nodded and was about to step into the kitchen when she noticed the cigarettes abandoned on the dining table. Without the slightest hesitation, she went to pick the pack and threw it away.

"Can I bake a chocolate pie as well? I like them..."

Somewhat satisfied of their daughter's gesture – relieved – Jane and Maura nodded and smiled. It would take a long while for the wound opened earlier in the morning to fade away but they had to go on. Together. They formed a family. There would be ups and downs.

The key was to remain united.


	28. Thirteen and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the reviews!**_

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Thirteen and a Half Years Old**

Maura let her eyes wander from Jane's head to her toes. Unconvinced, she pouted and raised an eyebrow; hand on her hip. "Is this really the way you picture out a physician?" Without waiting for a reply, she approached her wife and lifted up the white coat. "Garter belts? Really?"

Jane blushed and pulled back on the coat. She shrugged – cleared her voice – and bit her lower lip. "Why I needed something vaguely sexy. It's easier to get people to speak. Especially men." Uh oh. By the gaze Maura shot her, she knew that she hadn't chosen the proper argument. "The future of a case depends on it. It's just an undercover outfit."

"Coming straight from a porn comic!" The blonde gasped and widened her eyes in horror. "I am a physician. Have you ever seen me walking around in such attire?"

"Sadly, I haven't." Determined to not let her wife win this battle of jealousy, Jane winked and put a hand on Maura's waist; her thumb suggestively playing with the hem of her silk bathrobe. "But it is something that has definitely crossed my mind more than once."

A smile began to play on Maura's lips.

_Well done, Riz'. Well done. Now that's the way you turn a situation in your favor. _The scientist let a laugh escape and – not caring much about the fact they were standing in the kitchen where anyone could walk in on them – started unbuttoning the white coat; her fingertips brushing Jane's hot skin in the process for each inch of flesh that appeared under the piece of clothing. Soon, her lips joined the journey down to the garter belt, eliciting sighs from the brunette.

Maura's hands had reached her wife's waist – the white coat hanging wide open – while a playful path of kisses was leading her to silk underwear when a well-known voice rose in the air, putting quite an abrupt end to the delicate moment.

Immediately, Maura turned around and made a step to the counter before leaning on it; hoping to cover Jane in her back who was furiously buttoning back the white coat, turned towards the fridge.

"So I was thinking..." Alba stopped in her tracks as she reached the kitchen and frowned. "Why are you wearing a white coat...?" But suddenly her eyes widened and she raised her hands up in the air as a mock of horror spread on her face. "Oh God not that. Please tell me you're just trying a Halloween outfit? And now you're into role play, fantastic. Ew."

Trying to not sound too embarrassed herself by the semi-veracity of the remark, Jane rolled her eyes and pulled on the white coat she suddenly found way too short to her own taste. "This isn't what you think, Al'. Not at all." _Wow. Such a classic line, Rizzoli. _"I've just come back home from work."

"Since when are you a physician, then?" Adjusting her glasses, the teenager cast a glance at Maura in spite of her question being directed to Jane.

"I went to a private clinic as an undercover, that's all. I just didn't bother changing before driving to here. Anyway, the coat belongs to Maura."

"That I can tell. No offense, mommy, but you look like one of these cheap sexy nurses we see on a Halloween costume pack." Alba made a face and shook her head apologetically.

Maura's stiffled chuckles turned out to be the only noise breaking the uncomfortable silence that followed.

In an effort to get over the delicate situation, she straightened up and cleared her voice. Obviously Alba had come downstairs with something else in mind. Something important enough she wanted to share at almost 10pm when she should have been in bed already.

"As much as I agree with your comparative study here, what were you talking about before Jane's outfit... Troubled you, honey?"

Alba frowned but nodded right away, eager to go back to something less confusing. "Indeed, you're right. Yes..." Uncertainty melted into nervousness. She looked down at her hands - bit her lower lip – hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking. "So there are these people at school who just came in to talk to us about the LGBT community and how they welcomed any of us, teens, if... We felt like speaking and all..."

Jane frowned and cast a glance at Maura. Was Alba doing her coming out? This would have been a huge surprise considering how she didn't stop talking about boys. All the time.

"They have this place where you can go and talk, ask for advices and all... Anyway, I was thinking about two different things. First, I know they're looking for a same-sex married couple to come and talk – you know, like awareness stuff – at a few schools and maybe that's something you could do... I know you're not much into the whole community thing and fight but still."

Maura blinked, uncertain of the way she was supposed to take the last comment. As much as it was true. They didn't go to gay bars, had never taken part in any Pride whatsoever. They did know a few other same-sex couples – starting with Guadalupe and Lisa – but it hardly went any further. Perhaps they should have shown more militancy.

"Well... Why not. Our schedules might make it complicated but it isn't a bad idea. I guess. Jane?"

The Italian snapped her head around and raised an eyebrow at her wife. She looked a bit lost. "Yeah sure. Although I don't know if I'm the best spokesperson, to be honest."

In a shrug, Alba discarded the so-called problem. "It's all fine. They don't want you to give a lecture about the LGBT History. They just want to prove to teens that being in a same-sex relationship isn't the end of the world and that you're doing just fine. Which you are... Or at least to me."

Jane smiled. Her daughter's words made her proud. They had raised a caring, tolerant person. It was a big, personal success.

"And the second part is that I'd like to help them. They need volunteers to welcome people and have a chat with them. You know, teens who are a bit lost and scared; rejected by their families and all."

Maura nodded slowly. The intention was good – if not just excellent. Perhaps Alba was looking for her very own way to give into volunteering as Lucie had been doing for the past months downtown Boston with cancer survivors. It was actually the best thing Jane and Maura had done.

After a couple of days of brainstorming - following the discovery of the pack of cigarettes - they had decided to push Lucie to sign up for volunteering and helping cancer survivors to find their way back – successfully – into society. Not only could the teen see on a weekly basis the damage tobacco did on people but her actions found an echo – a very positive one – on a higher level as well. If she had done a bit of everything at the association at first, Lucie had finally found her place at the relooking department. She liked giving advices to survivors about a potential new wardrobe to help them find a job and was good at it. It boosted her self-confidence and she was less timid.

"It is an excellent idea, Alba, but aren't you a bit young? We managed to find a vacancy for Lucie – a permanent one – after a long while. Her age was a problem for many associations. And yet it was our own way to raise awareness about tobacco, that's why we insisted. How are you going to help if they are all older than you are?"

Jane cast a glance at her wife and nodded in support. Fair point. What they had done for Lucie had been their own way to ground her; trying to get a benefit from the whole thing, for them as well as for the teenager. And it had worked. But what Alba was now asking was completely different.

Yet the young girl didn't seem to be bothered the slightest bit. "The thing is... I might be young but I know what it is to live with a same-sex couple. I know what some people say about it, I know how it hurts. Not that Lucie and I get nasty comments about it on a daily basis but at times, it's a bit too borderline. We learn to live with it and how to deal with it. I think that's why I could be helpful..."

Biting her lips in hesitation, Maura turned her head around and locked her eyes with her wife's. It was not a bad idea at all. On the contrary. Jane approached the counter, her body brushing Maura's. She sighed.

"How about we meet whoever is at the head of the association first and see if he or she agrees with having you around? And then... Why not. I don't know. Maur' and I need to discuss it before too. It is something serious you're asking, you know that, right? You won't be able to step down after just one week in." Which was a bit of Alba's specialty.

From dance to judo passing by volleyball, she hadn't stopped putting an abrupt end to all her extra-activities.

"I know and I swear I won't ask to stop." Alba shrugged, looking for the right words to express her feelings. "I want to help them. They shouldn't be suffering for something they haven't chosen and... And that isn't wrong. You two are together, you're in love. You're not doing anything wrong. You're my parents, annoying at times and such but still... You're just like everyone. That's the way people should see it."

Silence. Jane looked down, unsure of what she was supposed to say. She hadn't expected such kind of conversation at this hour of the night. And then it hit her. "Is there a boy... Behind all this?"

Her question got welcomed by a sigh. Maura buried her face in her hands while Alba laughed it all away.

"Jane, stop it now!" The honey blonde shook her head and rolled her eyes.

The Italian raised her hands in the air. "Okay. Forget what I said. I was just checking, alright? Just making sure. I know that this Matthew you talked about is a lot into... Militancy."

Alba wrinkled her noise. "Oh, he belongs to the past."

"What happened?" Maura raised an eyebrow, feigning to remember who Matthew was. After all, a new name showed up every week with Alba. Thank God Lucie was different or chances would be that they would have heard of half the school by now.

Alba made a face. "He isn't a Red Sox fan. Can you believe that?"


	29. Fourteen Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews! **_

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: Fourteen Years Old**

"Happy fifteenth anniversary." Raising her glass of champagne, Lucie smiled at her mothers and bit her lower lip as a soft shade of pink rushed up her cheeks.

_Just like Maura. She has the exact same mimickings. _Jane grinned and cheered with her daughters before turning to her wife who had sat down next to her. Fifteen years. She had been with Maura – married to her – for fifteen years. She could hardly believe that. Time was not flying by, no. It was running away from her, slipping through her fingers bitterly. _Please, Riz'. Of all time you think this trip to Paris is the best one to start feeling melancholic about the passing of time?_

"You should renew your vows. Now that would be romantic." Alba cast a glance at her sister to ask implicitly for support in the idea she had just suggested. Lucie nodded. "Or just a real wedding... I can't believe you got married on a sudden impulse. At the courthouse."

Lucie rolled her eyes, a mock of disgust on her face. "And took a selfie!"

Jane and Maura looked down, a bit embarrassed. Their daughters were obsessed over their wedding. As little girls, they hadn't minded much about the whole thing but once old enough to understand – and criticize – the courthouse plot had made them cringe. A lot.

"Is this your way to tell us that if you ever get married, we will have to pay for the whole fancy plot, the horse carriage and music band?" Jane took a sip of her champagne and raised an eyebrow at her daughters. "This is not apple juice, Alba. Slow down."

The twin rolled her eyes but smiled politely. It was a special day – a special dinner – and nobody in the family wanted to ruin it. "It isn't the first time I have champagne, you know. _Grand-mère_ always gives us some when we spend the summer in Dordogne with her and _grand-père_."

"I know, I know... And I tolerate it because it's in the family and we're in France."

Yet the first time Jane had seen Constance offer some champagne to her daughters, she hadn't felt at ease. They had barely had two sips of it but still, they were thirteen by then. However, the whole lecture about the vineyards that had followed had reassured her. Maura's mother gave a lot of importance to learning. Yet she could be rather strict when wanted. She simply addressed her granddaughters as the adults they would be one day. Maura reproduced the exact same scheme, even if she hated being said so.

And it seemed to work. For the moment, neither Lucie nor Alba had felt the urge to drink alcohol – or anything illegal at their age – outside of the Dordogne countryhouse.

"We are in Paris, mommy. Look around you. Isn't it the perfect place to get married? The city really is beautiful. And romantic." As if to accompany her words, Lucie motioned at the room and above, at the small square through the windows. "And what do you mean exactly by '_if _you get married'?"

"We are already married, sweetheart. And as much as Paris is – indeed – a beautiful city, the way we did it in Boston is a lot more romantic to me." With a satisfy nod, Maura put back her glass right in front of her on the table and straightened up.

"You really think it was romantic?" Jane blinked, utterly surprised. She surely didn't regret the act of spontaneity in itself but she would have a hard time qualifying it of romantic.

Yet the blonde shrugged, leaning her chin on the back of her hands. "Yes, I do. Sure it didn't really respond to the classic criteria of romanticism but it was, for me. Because it was our decision. It... I don't know, it was us."

A bit like now. They could have chosen a renowned restaurant – a five-start one – but instead, they walked into a small brasserie of a rather popular neighborhood. Sure they wouldn't have hot dogs – unlike on their wedding day – but there was nothing tawdry about the restaurant either. It was just one of these old little bistros anyone could find in Paris. It didn't even seem to come straight from some movie. No. It was just a very random one. Friendly enough.

"That doesn't explain the 'if'. Are you insinuating that we will be spinsters?" Alba made a face and cast a rather desperate glance at her sister. They had chosen the same hairdo, very similar clothes. Their resemblance was particularly striking.

Jane rolled her eyes and relaxed on her chair, passing an arm on Maura's shoulder while shaking her head at the twins. "With the amount of crushes you have, Al', I doubt you'll end up being a spinster. All I was saying is that everyone doesn't get married and it's all fine. Marriage isn't a necessity. You can live happily – with someone or not – without being married."

Her remark got welcomed by very inconvinced faces. _Wow, Riz'. You're gonna be less conservative than your daughters. Now that's something. _

"Then why did you get married if you think it's no big deal?" The smirk on Lucie's face echoed the way she raised a playful eyebrow. Debate mode: activated.

"We wanted me to be recognized as your mother from a law point of view. It's not we don't believe in marriage, I mean I don't think so..." Jane turned around and smiled at Maura's nod. "But it wasn't a priority for us. It's never been, even before we started dating. We mostly did it for administrative – a lot of them – reasons."

"Okay. You totally fail at the romantic game to the point I feel ashamed. I mean... Really! You don't even have a present today for each other while you're celebrating your fifteenth anniversary." Alba shook her head and grabbed a slice of bread. Nonchalantly, she pushed back behind her shoulder a long blond curl of hair and – disillusioned – sighed heavily.

"Oh but we will be celebrating our own way... Later tonight..." Maura's smile grew wider as she had no choice but to face the mock of horror on her daughters' face.

She liked teasing them. As much as – at times – she still unvoluntarily overshared, on most of cases she simply threw a comment in in the hope to get such reaction. She found it funny.

Almost as much as seeing Jane turn red like a brick.

"Oh God. Mom, please. We're about to have dinner. This is really not the right time to share your... Sex life... With us." Lucie poured herself a glass of water and drank it down.

The waitress arrived, several dishes in hand. Not bothering much about her presence, Maura took a deep breath and ran her tongue over her lips.

"You have to understand that sex isn't taboo and does not have to be. One day you will be sexually active and we want you to know that you can come to talk to us about it whenever you want."

Alba buried her face her hands while Lucie started moving nervously on her chair, trying to avoid the amused smile that played on the waitress' lips. "Yeah, yeah. We got it, thanks. Let's talk about something else, now. Please. Honestly, do you really enjoy talking about your parents' sex life?"

Jane made a face. Good point. She was still traumatized by her own mother's life after the divorce. Deep inside, she just hoped nothing had happened in the guesthouse when Cavanaugh showed up. _Yeah sure. They were just playing Skipbo. Idiot!_

"Well... Since you're in search of a bit of intimacy for this special day, how about we leave the two of you alone at the hotel and go out for a while?" Alba smiled. Not innocently enough.

"At 11pm? Who are you trying to fool, exactly?" Jane snorted and shook her head, stealing a piece of meat in Maura's plate before focusing on her own dish. "You're fourteen years old. Ask again... I don't know, when you're thirty-five."

"Jane!" The medical examiner laughed and planted a soft kiss on her wife's cheek, her hand sliding rahter suggestively on her thigh.

"Paris is too big for the two of you to be out at night like that. Punta Cana was all fine as we were staying at the Club but not here. Nope. Forget it."

Lucie pouted, chewing angrily on her fish. "This is unfair. Don't you trust us? Even by day you do that. We can never go out by ourselves."

It was true but Jane and Maura couldn't help it. They had seen too much. They didn't manage to let go and give a chance to the twins unlike the other parents. They just couldn't get themselves to do it.

Two weeks earlier, the BPD had finally caught a serial killer. It was too fresh in their mind. Way too fresh.

"We trust you. Just... Not the others. And certainly not by night. You're fourteen. You should be in bed by 11pm when on vacation."

"Fine. I went overboard with it but how about in the afternoon, like after lunch? There are plenty of teens in the streets, here. And we speak French." Alba wrinkled her nose, straightened up. She was not about to give up. Not this time.

"Can't we just celebrate our anniversary without alluding to all this?" But Jane couldn't be mad nor anything. The request was fair enough. "What do you want to do outside without us, anyway? It'd better not be a tattoo!"

Lucie laughed lightly. "Just go to the park, or to the movies... Have a drink at a cafe. Nothing bad! Just... Doing stuff without you."

All of a sudden, the teenager turned around – grabbed her bag – and took a present ouf ot it. "And this is for you, by the way. Happy anniversary, from Alba and I. See? _We_ are romantic."

Surprised – and touched – Maura grabbed the present and unwrapped it, laughing at Jane's barely contained excitement. Paper discarded, they both made a face - confused - and frowned.

"An iPod dock?" The brunette took the box in her hands, unsure of the way she had to react. Not that it was a bad idea but she hardly understood the whole reasoning behind. They didn't need one. Or at least not at home.

"We got it this afternoon after realizing how thin the walls of the hotel suite were. Considering it's your anniversary and that mom made a few things clear... Please make sure to use it tonight. Since we won't be allowed to go out."


	30. Fourteen and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for the reviews; if someone offers you an iPod dock soon, you'll know why haha**_

**Chapter Thirty: Fourteen and a Half Years Old**

"It is a big auditorium." Impressed, Jane looked around and let her whisper float above her head. She had never been to Carnegie Hall. It was a first.

"The official opening night was on May, 5th; 1891. With a concert conducted by maestro Damrosch and composer Tchaikovsky..." But before Maura had a chance to lose herself in more explanation – bringing a vibrant homage to Wikipedia – Jane interrupted her.

"I actually know that. I went to a school of music. We just... Never made it to New York to see this place." And small wonder why. She hadn't grown up in Beacon Hill. Her privileges had never met the ones her daughters now had.

Maura smiled apologetically and squeezed the Italian's hand. She did regret that Jane never played the piano anymore. Alba had tried – for two months – before giving up. The musician of the family was Lucie. She had reached an excellent level, now. Movement on Maura's right made her turn her head. Apologizing politely, Alba made her way to her seat and settled there.

"I think she's on the verge of passing out."

Simultaneously – yet unaware of each other's identical reaction – Jane and Maura made a face at the remark and barely repressed a moan of despair. If when Lucie had first learned that she would have the chance to perform at Carnegie Hall with the rest of her class she had been excited but her feelings – strong ones – had slowly melted into a terrible anxiety. And none of her mothers had managed to do anything to properly relieve her high level of stress.

"As long as she doesn't throw up in the middle of the stage." Jane's comment fell flat. Nobody – not even herself if she had to be honest – felt the urge to laugh. Embarrassed, she decided to sit back on her seat properly and remain quiet. It would be better for everyone, obviously.

"You know, sometimes I find it too bad I'm not an artsy person. I mean it must be cool to stand on a stage in front of everyone." Focused on an invisible point in front of her, Alba pouted and shrugged.

"You could take drama classes. Who knows, perhaps you would like it!" Who was Maura kidding? She knew by now that Alba didn't manage to focus on extra-activities. Volunteering at the LGBT association was the only thing she seemed to find eagerness to pursue. The rest came and went.

"You think I'd be good at it?" Surprised, Alba locked her eyes with Maura's and frowned; trying to ignore Jane's stifled chuckles.

"Well, I..." What had she just done? Panicked, the honey blonde ran her tongue over her lips – took a deep breath – and was about to add a pitiful explanation when the auditorium finally turned dark.

Saved by the – silent – bell.

A performance by level, each class presenting a different composer. And a few solos, among them Lucie's. Her very first solo. For weeks, they had heard her rehearse in her room – over and over – not caring much about the blisters she was getting from the intensity of the whole work but as she stepped on stage that evening after a long and anxious wait from her family, Jane and Maura realized that they had never really listened to her.

She wasn't a good musician. She was extremely talented. To the point pride didn't manage to find a way in Jane and Maura's heart. They got left there – disarmed – astounded.

Glad to see that she had overcome her timidity in the process but mostly taken aback by the fact she had reached such level. At such a young age.

As the lights came back for the intermission, none of them moved. Even Alba remained still, unsure of the way she was supposed to react. They hadn't expected that. Not at all.

"Lucie has been fantastic! What a talented daughter you have!"

If it weren't for the remark coming from another parent, Jane would have probably remained silent and still on her seat for the rest of the evening. Forcing a smile – clearing her voice – she managed some sort of a pale nod.

"Yes, err... Thank you!"

Did it come from her high I.Q.? Jane bit her lower lip and barely managed to focus on the rest of the evening. Alba probably had more or less the same I.Q. yet she hadn't showed signs of music skills.

No, it had to come from somewhere else.

By the time a blurry explanation made it to her mind, she was waiting quietly in the lobby alongside Maura and Alba. None of them dared to talk, even less allude to Lucie's performance. It actually – if she had to be honest – made them uncomfortable. But as the twin approached finally, holding in one hand a large bouquet of flowers and in the other her cello case while a grin lit up her features, all the apprehension Jane may have felt flew away.

Without any warning, she took her daughter in her arms and held her tight. "Promise me you won't go to the Juilliard School any time soon, though. I'm not ready for that."

...

When Maura passed her hand under Jane's shirt and didn't get any reaction from her wife, she put a rather abrupt end to what she had just started and frowned.

"Have I lost any kind of effect on you?"

Jane was not on a big case. The last week at the BPD had been rather quiet. Maura couldn't have asked for a better timing for a sweet evening. But all her attempts were miserably failing now.

Her face suddenly distorted by what looked like a powerful pain, Jane turned around and locked her eyes with Maura's. She scoffed. "Haumea is on the pill!"

"I know. I was at the dinner as well, do you remember?" Seeing her attempt to sound light did not work much, the medical examiner heavily sighed and sat up in bed. Not really eager to let go and draw a line under what she had planned. "Isn't it better than to have her 'star' on one of those teen mom shows?"

"She's fifteen!"

Maura shrugged. Hard to say she had welcomed the news happily but not for the same reasons as Jane. No. It simply had made her feel old which was intolerable.

"I can't believe that you were thinking about Lisa and Guadalupe's daughter while we had engaged in foreplay." Pouting, the blonde crossed her arms on her chest and looked down at her wife's lap.

"What? I did not... Oh, come on! Don't make it sound worse than what it really is!" Jane rolled her eyes. "I do not think about fifteen-year-old teenagers when we're... When we're doing this." Pause. "But still. She's damn young."

"And not sexually active yet."

The brunette scoffed, visibly unconvinced. "Yeah, like I'm gonna buy that. Nah." Shaking her head – biting her thumb nail – she mumbled a few inaudible words before sounding distinct anew. "Do you think we should take Alba to the OB/GYN?"

Maura made a face. Her late-night plans had just flown out of the window. Now she was sure of that.

"And why not Lucie?"

Jane raised an eyebrow. "What for? I'm not even sure she has actually even kissed a boy so far. She completely stopped the whole dating stuff after the fiasco when she was twelve. Which is weird too. Shouldn't she be somewhat interested in the whole thing by now? She's almost fifteen."

Maura shrugged. She had wondered the same but then had simply assumed that it had to do with the teen's slight difficulties to socialize. And nothing else.

"You know, I guess Alba is still in the whole 'let's make out for two weeks and goodbye' phase. She doesn't have Haumea's maturity. She is six months younger, after all. It makes a big difference now. Maybe in a year or so... Honestly, I don't think she is ready for more. She doesn't even have an official date."

Jane frowned – as if pondering the words – and wrinkled her nose. "Maybe we should buy condoms and such. I mean... We don't have any!" If she had no idea how to take charge of the whole thing, it was clear that she didn't want it to be taboo as it had been with her own parents. No. She had to find a way – _they_ had to find a way – to settle some trustful relation.

As much as it hurt.

"It is a possibility, indeed. But then again, I think we still have quite a lot of time ahead of us. Our daughters are sweet – and smart – but completely lack maturity on the matter, Jane."

"Like it's gonna stop them to give it a try! I don't know many kids who wait to have the wisdom of a Tibetan monk to have sex." She scoffed, rolled her eyes. "And that's the problem! Look at TJ."

"He is going to turn eighteen years old!" This time, Maura openly laughed and shook her head at Jane; amused. "You can't prevent them from growing up. It is part of life..."

The brunette made a face – unconvinced – but instead of replying, she simply took her shirt off then her boxer shorts.

Maura blinked. "What are you doing?"

Enjoying the heat of the blanket against her bare skin, Jane snorted. "Come on. Resume the foreplay and let's have sex to forget."

"You want to forget about your nephew being sexually active by having sex?"

One. Two. Three. Fists clenched. Jane moaned in annoyance. "It's now or never tonight, Maura. So make up your mind." Pause. Timid glance at her wife. Shrug. Low voice. "Of course you still have quite a lot of effect on me. But if you have some doubt, let me prove it to you right now."


	31. Fifteen Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all your reviews!**_

**Chapter Thirty-One: Fifteen Years Old**

"I think I'm in love."

If the dinner had been rather quiet until now – uneventful – Lucie's sudden statement made it take a complete different turn. Astounded, Maura blinked at her daughter barely paying attention to Jane – by her side – choking on her glass of water.

"With a human being?" By the glare Maura shot her, Jane shook her head and cleared her voice. It was not something she had expected. Nobody, actually. Not even Alba who was staring blankly at her sister as if she just had a seizure. "Who is he? What's his name?"

Lucie had never talked about anyone. Her behavior hadn't changed these past few weeks. Nothing seemed to indicate that the adolescent would have met someone. Or else she was utterly discreet.

Which seemed to be the case.

Blushing slightly – a delicate smile playing on her lips – Lucie looked down for a few seconds but at the last minute decided to hold Jane's gaze. Her mothers' gaze.

"Madeline. Her name is Madeline."

The confession got welcomed by a confused silence; the teenager's voice floating around with all the uncertainty of key moments. Something had hit the whole assembly like a ton of bricks.

"You're a lesbian?!"

Maura widened her eyes and frowned at her daughter's comment. "Alba!" Uncomfortably, she sat a bit closer to the edge of her seat and cleared her voice, trying to overcome the news she hadn't felt – not the slightest bit – coming.

With her typical casualness, Alba shrugged away her mother's reaction. "What? It's not an insult... Gosh. You two are surely the oddest same-sex couple I've ever met."

Not paying much attention to the comment, Jane squinted her eyes at Lucie and ran her tongue over her lips. She didn't know what to say, where to start. The revelation had taken her aback.

"But are you err... I mean is she err... You together?" _Excellent English, Riz'. Really. Perfect. Bright and all. Awesome. _

"I think we are, yes." Lucie's smile began to tremble. She shrugged, almost apologetically. "We met at the school of music. She is sixteen." Before the lack of reaction, the teen looked down. "She is a really nice person, very sweet."

"You've been dating her for a while and you didn't tell me? I'm your sister... Your twin! Aren't we... Aren't we supposed to share it all?" Alba pouted, very upset.

Maura made a face. Two different reactions to deal with. If Lucie was introverted, she had never – absolutely never – had an issue to put some distance between her and her sister. Unlike Alba who was very attached to her. Way more symbiotic in their relation. It gave her self-confidence.

Obviously the news were hurting her.

"Honey, I am sure that Lucie has never wanted to be mean to you... What she is going through isn't easy. Especially to share with people we are close to." The scientist grabbed her daughter's hand and held it tight to comfort her. It was not the best time for drama.

"I'm sorry to burst it out like this – I know it's tactless – but have you always been attracted to girls? I feel like I've missed something and it err... It makes me feel bad. I've been living with a woman for such a long time. Shouldn't I've seen it coming or something? I'm... I don't know. I'm kind of lost."

Jane shook her head, uncertain of whether she had been right to say that. Of course the fact Lucie – their daughter – was dating another girl wasn't an issue at all but it had just never crossed her mind. And she felt guilty.

Had the adolescent had to go through the whole thing alone? If so then it was terrible.

"I don't know..." Lucie frowned, pondering the question in all seriousness. "Maybe. Yeah maybe..."

"I'm so sorry we missed it, honey. You should have come to talk to us if you had doubts or did not feel fine. If you were a bit a lost. Were you afraid of our reaction? Please tell me you weren't or it's definitely a big fail for Maura and I." Jane suddenly realized that she hadn't let go of her fork. She was still clutched to it; ridiculously enough.

"Well as much as you two are les... Bisexual, alright... Let's face it, it's not something you talk about nor really... I don't know... Encourage." Alba shrugged.

"We are not homophobic!" Maura widened her eyes in great panic. "We always made clear that we would always be supportive, especially when it comes to your sexual orientation as there is nothing wrong in all this. But then we don't want to stigmatize you either. Just because you are raised by a same-sex couple doesn't mean that you have to live – breathe – and get fed LGBT all the time. We only want you to understand the notion of tolerance, and be open-minded."

Alba rolled her eyes and chuckled. "We know that, don't be worried. Don't you see that Secret Girl over there is happy? That's the only message she's trying to pass right now. Don't be dramatic like that. She's in love, she has a girlfriend. We should be celebrating. Even though she didn't tell me the slightest thing about it and _that_ is super low."

Alba was right. Feeling guilty, Maura cast a glance at Jane who was not doing any better and sighed rather heavily.

"We just want you to be happy. And we are happy for you, Lucie. If she makes you happy – and she should do or else if she will hear from me – then... I don't know..." Without any warning, Maura left her seat – stood up – then walked to her daughter to hug her tight. "I am proud of you, honey."

"Well I don't know, Maur'. Personally, I want to see what she looks like first. Then I'll be proud... Or not." But the smile that began to play on Jane's lips only emphasized the sarcasm of her comment.

And nobody took it literally. Not even Maura.

"Okay so... Since it's like... Thursday confession..." Alba cleared her voice and began to move a bit uncomfortably on her chair; obvious to the attention she was now having.

Maura swallowed hard and cast a furtive glance at her wife. What was going on, exactly? Was there a full moon or something?

"I don't know how to say that because... It's not gonna be easy, that I'm sure of... But then it has to be said..." Alba ran her tongue over her lips, frowned. At the mercy of what looked like a thousand doubts.

_Oh God, Riz'. You're going to be a grandma. Oh man. See? So much to listen to Maura say Alba is not ready. Bullshit. You're screwed._

"So I guess I should just say it... Like that... Now..." Alba took a deep breath and looked at every single person around the table. "Mom... Mommy... Lucie..." Pause. Nod. "I'm straight."

Silence. Then Jane rolled her eyes, Maura sighed loudly. Lucie smiled, amused by the whole scene.

"Crap you scared me, you, idiot!" The brunette snapped her daughter's shoulder and shook her head. Why? Why had one of her kids got her stupid sense of humor? Why? "I almost had a heart attack!"

Alba burst out laughing, satisfied of the effect of her announcement. She bit into her lasagna. "I'm in the minority here now so I had to make my coming out. Time to make things clear. I like boys... Like... Really."

"Yeah well like them from a distance." Jane shot a frosty glare at her daughter and settled back on her seat while Maura poured her a well-needed glass of wine. She welcomed the kiss from her with a smile.

Alba made a face. "All the guys from school are out of my list now anyway and the other ones are all from the LGBT association. And gay."

Jane grinned. "Perfect." She turned to Lucie. "Now just because you're dating a girl doesn't mean it goes any different for you. I want to meet her since... It seems to be serious and all. Invite her over. So our dysfunctional family scares the hell out of her and she runs by the door right after coming in. It's gonna be fantastic. Right, Maur'?"

The medical examiner rolled her eyes and preferred to not give in.

"These lasagna are excellent, Jane. Your mother would be proud of you."

"Like she'd care. She's in Vegas right now. Something tells me lasagna is the last thing she's actually thinking about." And the trip was definitely the last thing Jane wanted to think about as Angela had left with Korsak.

Since he had retired a few months earlier, he had surely grown closer to the matriarch. Way too much to Jane's taste.

"Maybe grandma will come back married and all!" Alba started laughing out loud but stopped right away as Jane snapped her head at her. The adolescent looked down. "Why if we can't joke anymore..."

But since one can always count on twins to make it worse, Lucie decided to join in and support her sister's teasing.

"I am so looking forward to seeing the wedding pics. I hope they'll have chosen the Elvis chapel. A classic!"

Jane clenched her teeth. "Not funny!"


	32. Fifteen and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews!**_

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Fifteen and a Half Years Old**

The store looked like a wharehouse, music blaring all around while multicolored lights slid on the pieces of clothing that a multitude of teenagers grabbed – checked – then threw back haphazardly.

A giant mess. Jane raised an unconvinced eyebrow. She had landed into a noisy giant mess.

"Come over there! Their scarves are great. You should buy one for mom." Ecstatic and definitely in her element, Lucie grabbed her mother by the wrist to drag her to an even darker corner.

How did the teenager even know the place? Had she come with Maura before? They were still strict on their outdoor activities and refused to let their daughters go alone – or with their friends – to any shopping afternoon on the other side of the city. Yet Lucie looked perfectly at ease in the South End as if she owned the place.

Eager to please the adolescent, Jane obliged and smiled warmly at her daughter. She usually didn't go shopping with Lucie. She wasn't enough of a fashionista for it. The young girl had a thing for it. It was certain. Jane only wished that she wouldn't turn to be too embarrassing for her daughter.

"Maura has like three thousand scarves already..." Yelling to be heard over the music, the brunette frowned and grabbed the first accessory her hand stopped on before looking at it with a complete – and evident – lack of interest.

"It's the gesture that counts. She wouldn't come here by herself. She'd prefer a Hermès but I'm sure the surprise will please her. Come on! You know her by heart. You know what colors suit her."

Jane pouted. There was nothing less sure considering the daily remarks she got from Maura on this exact matter. In an effort to make Lucie happy, she looked back at the scarves and chose an emerald green one.

$5.

Well, at least she wouldn't go bankrupt with it. Unless she should pick a few of them? Suddenly not too sure, she bit her lower lip and frowned. A few scarves could be a good idea. Even excellent.

"How about I take this one and – let's say – four others?"

Lucie widened her eyes in horror and vehemently shook her head. "Are you insane? Never buy the same product – only in different colors – to a woman!"

Jane blushed. The afternoon was turning wrong. Since when her fifteen-year-old daughter – freshly tied to a same-sex relationship – was supposed to give her advices about women when she had got married to one herself almost seventeen years earlier? If Maura hadn't left her yet then it meant she wasn't that clueless either. Or just lucky?

_Meh. What have you done, seriously, Riz'?_

How she had ended up shopping was a mystery in itself anyway. An hour earlier she was still in her best whale impersonation on the couch watching junk television; trying to forget the bitterness of a case they hadn't managed to solve. She hated when it happened. A cold case remained there, on her mind. She never forgot them.

Lucie had dragged her out cheerfully enough, probably feeling forced to do so before such a pitiful sight. The adolescent had been nice enough. As much as Jane would live the next hours as a torture.

"The emerald green is great. She'll like... The purple skulls on it." Lucie's smile looked apologetic. A few pieces in hand herself, she headed to the checkout.

Jane looked down at the scarf. Oh God. She had chosen a grunge one. If there was one person who would like it then it had to be Alba but certainly not Maura. The blonde did like The Doors but not ACDC. It was not her style. Not at all.

"If you say so..."

A few minutes later, they both stepped out of the store; bags in hand. Jane winced before the bright sun the cave she had been in had made her forget. It was a beautiful October day. A certain warmth embraced her body while the leaves of the trees slowly began to adopt the colors of the fall. In spite of the shopping spree, she was glad that Lucie had decided to spend the afternoon with her.

It happened too rarely.

"Can I ask you something?"

They had almost made it at the end of the street when Lucie looked up at Jane and frowned, not too sure if she should go on or not. Until now, their conversation had been rather random and light. But it seemed like the teenager had something else in mind.

Casting a glance at a pair of Doc Martens in a window store, Jane nodded absentmindedly. "Sure..."

"I know this is usually a family thing but... Could Madeline come with us to Provincetown in two weeks? To spend the weekend with me."

End of the shopping daydream. Jane got tense – swallowed hard – and remained still. For very long seconds. This was definitely coming out of the blue. She had met Madeline – who had turned out to be a very nice girl – but she hadn't assumed that such request would come so soon.

Without Maura around.

She needed Maura. There was no way she gave an answer now without even talking about it to her wife. Unless she wanted to sleep on the couch for the next two decades. Besides – to be honest – it was very blurry. She had no idea what her opinion was on the matter.

"Maybe we should meet her parents first. I mean, they don't even know us. I'm not sure they'd just go and accept such weekend getaway without knowing anything about us first." _Jeez, Riz'. You're becoming wise. Maura would be so proud of you right now. Save it for later. Might come in handy._

"Okay." Somewhat satisfied by the answer, Lucie smiled and resumed her walking.

"Are you sleeping together?" Jane made a face. Lately, it seemed like that her whole private life – as a mother – focused on sex and who had done it and who hadn't. Couldn't they go back to the cartoons and princess time?

Or dinosaurs. Damn how she missed the dinosaurs.

Lucie giggled nervously and looked down. "No, we don't. It's too soon."

_Now that's my girl. _Grinning like an idiot, Jane passed an arm around her daughter's shoulder before dragging her closer to plant a kiss on top of her head. At least with Lucie, conversations lasted a lot less long than with Alba, especially on this matter.

They turned on their right and sped up a bit when spotting Maura and Alba waiting for them on the square halfway. Jane took a deep breath and smiled. A perfect Saturday afternoon. No work call, no rain. No dark thoughts and wonders about an upcoming retirement. It had tickled her a bit lately but she had quickly come to the conclusion that she was not ready for that. Not at all.

"Hey..." Visibly happy to see them arrive, Maura made a step towards Jane – pressed a hand on her lower back – and captured her lips in a long, soft kiss. "How did it go? Is your credit card still alive and running?"

Jane rolled her eyes and held out the bag to her before Lucie's not so discreet motion. "This is for you. It's err... It's just a little something."

Surprised, Maura accepted the bag and took the scarf out of it. She checked it out – impassive – and finally grinned. "I love it!"

"Really?" Jane frowned. She surely hadn't expected that and yet the honey blonde hadn't broken in hives. She was being honest, as odd as it seemed.

"Yes! It is a bit rock n' roll – rebellious, dare I say – and so perfect for a medical examiner! In spite of the slight incoherence regarding the size of the skull if we compare it to the jaw but it is okay." And as if to prove her point, she took the label off and wrapped the scarf around her neck.

Coincidence or not, it did match the rest of her rather casual outfit: a pair of jeans – suede boots – and a leather jacket.

She blushed, looked down. "Thank you."

Lucie and Alba burst out laughing. "You two are as clumsy as nine-year-old kids!"

Not really knowing what to say, Jane and Maura simply smiled back at their daughters and – hand in hand – walked down the street towards the cafe they had planned on going to, soon followed by the twins deeply focused on some conversation they obviously didn't want to be overheard.

For a change.

Jane made a face. At least the time when they loved using some secret code to communicate was long gone and it was easier to understand and foresee their actions now. Raising twins was an odd challenge. Lucie and Alba's connection often took her aback, even now. They had their own temper and friends but still, they were linked by a strong – invisible – thread nobody could break down.

They argued but it never lasted too long.

"How did the appointment with the dentist go, Al'?"

The teenager made a face at Jane's question. She sighed, plunged her hands in the pockets of her worn-out pair of jeans. "I will officially look like a Guinea pig on November, 4th."

Jane smiled. "Who would have thought you were wise enough to actually have wisdom teeth..."

Alba gasped - opened her mouth to reply - but didn't seem to find the right words to retort anything snappy. She snorted. "Whatever!"

Jane 1 - 0 Alba


	33. Sixteen Years Old

_**Author's note: thnank you very much for the reviews; I will come back on the whole retirement thing a bit later, I guess, more in depth.**_

**Chapter Thirty-Three: Sixteen Years Old**

"A car?"

Hand under Maura's shirt – her lips dangerously close to her neck – Jane paused and frowned. She remained silent for a few seconds, pondering the words with sincerity. And then she wrinkled her nose. "Nah."

The blonde snapped her head around to properly look at her wife. "Why? Jane, if this is again one of your reactions to them growing up..."

But the Italian shook her head immediately and interrupted the scientist. "No, it's not that... But we live downtown. Lucie and Alba have never expressed the desire to own a car. They take the metro – and the bus – like anyone who's been growing up in the heart of the city. Let's face it, if it were not for our jobs, we wouldn't have a car ourselves."

True enough. They didn't live in the suburbs and didn't face – thus – the same needs. Maura sighed, disarmed. Of all the ideas she had had, every single one had been dismissed by Jane. This wasn't a good way to prepare the twins' birthday.

"Then what?" Despair rose in the medical examiner's voice as she began to tap her nose with a pen; notebook in hand. Looking for inspiration.

Jane resumed the path of kisses on her wife's neck; her fingertips brushing the ribs, travelling up to the edge of the lacy bra. "Dunno..."

As if completely unaware of the ministrations, Maura frowned – bit her lips – and shook her head. "What did you have yourself for your sweet sixteen?"

A smirk played on Jane's lips. "The hope to have my way with a medical examiner two decades or so later?" But her question fell flat. She sighed. "A car. A Toyota. It was shit but I was so proud of it because finally it meant I was not depending on my parents' own one anymore. What did you have?"

Maura shrugged and looked down. She seemed embarrassed. "Turning sixteen has never been much of a big deal in my family... I probably had books, a season ticket to the opera..."

Jane made a face. It could explain the reason why the honey blonde felt so eager to find the perfect birthday present for their daughters.

Pulling up on her elbows, she grabbed the notebook – the pen – and put them behind on the desk before focusing again on Maura's face. She started planting kisses all around; on every single inch of skin available and close enough.

"Obviously you won't find the Saint Graal tonight so let's focus on another kind of present... A mutual one that I know you kind of like."

Her lips brushed Maura's neck, warming up the skin of her shoulder blades. With a fluidity she had assumed to be gone for a long time, Jane managed to pass on top of her wife; pinning her under her own body on the couch. It was 11pm, Lucie and Alba were sleeping. The perfect quiet night for something spicy. Or just sweet. She was still unsure of what she really wanted right now.

Maura giggled and finally gave in. Within a minute her shirt was discarded and her skirt was slowly sliding on her thighs before landing quietly on the floor as she unhooked Jane's bra. Sighs rose – in the night – as their kisses melted into an urgent eagerness and their hands matched the staccato rhythm of a pair of hips pushing against another one.

Soon free of any piece of clothing, Jane grabbed Maura's thigh and captured back her lips as a tentative hand pushed her pelvis against her wife's. She smiled in the honey blonde's mouth and let her feelings carry her through the night.

...

"Oh my God..."

The scream – full of distress – woke Jane up abruptly. A bit lost, she opened her eyes and looked at her surroundings. The living-room. Fine. No worries. But then something moved under her and she realized that Maura was lying there, waking up slowly.

"Seriously, what is it that I am always the one walking in on you? My eyes, dammit!"

This time – more aware of everything – Jane looked up only to face a distressed Alba. The young girl was standing by the kitchen counter, a mug of tea in hand; still in her pajamas.

"Oh shit." But as Jane tried to sit up, she realized that such a move was impossible unless she did want to stand up naked in front of her daughter. Coincidently or not, the blanket usually folded on the couch had fallen on her while she had been sleeping and was now covering her body.

Almost too perfectly to be true.

Alright. They had fallen asleep. They had made love and then fallen asleep on the couch. No big deal. No, not really.

"Hey..." The detective's hoarse voice rose with a fake casualness that didn't fool anyone. This was slightly embarrassing to say the least. If only because she couldn't move an inch.

"Oh, good morning, sweetie." Happy as ever, Maura leaned her head even more backwards and let one of her brightest smiles play on her lips; not bothered the slightest bit by the situation. She waved at her daughter.

"Jesus Christ. There are other people in this house. Can't you just... Stick to your bedroom? Or your closet – or even your bathroom – if you are into variation. But not the couch! Where am I going to sit, now?"

"If you want to not sit anywhere near a place where Jane and I shared a moment of intimacy then I suggest you to stay away from the stools. And the counter too, actually." Amused, Maura laughed. "We were working on your sweet sixteen. I swear that all this was not intended. No, not in the first place."

"Oh how great. So thinking about Lucie and I led you to have sex? Fantastic. You really want me to sign up for a therapy, right? Unless it's one of your evil plans to disgust me from sex. I'm sure this is something you'd come up with..." Hands up in the air – in defeat – Alba rolled her eyes and walked out of the kitchen to the stairs. "I'm out of here. I need to... Forget about all this. And please... Dress up!"

"Honey..."

Grabbing her shirt, Jane put it on quickly and finally sat up. "Come on, Maur'. She's right. Don't tell me you'd be please to find your parents in such compromising position."

_Although technically, it is your fault, Riz'. Let's face it. You corrupted her last night. So much for taking the initiative._

...

"Sixteen, right?"

Jane nodded at her colleague and preferred to drown her sorrow in the glass of champagne she was holding.

Maura replied for her. "In march. Which leaves us three months to actually find the perfect present for them. It isn't easy at all..."

Frost raised an eyebrow, eager to help. "Have you asked them? Sometimes it goes as easy as that."

Maura shrugged. After the fiasco of the morning and Alba walking in on them, they hadn't shared a lot with their daughters. Their interactions had been reduced to the strict miminum.

Thankfully, the BPD new year lunch had shortened the general feeling of discomfort as they all had had to made their way to the headquarters at noon.

"They were talking about us getting a new cat or a dog but..." The blonde cast a brief glance at Jane and bit her lips. Since Jo Friday and Coco Loco had passed away, the Italian had put a veto on the idea of getting a new pet. She had been way too distressed after their deaths.

Jane snorted, obviously not missing the implicit comment. "Yeah and who will end up taking care of said pet? Us. Not them. Talk about a present! Nah, they should have something else."

Haumea had had a bicycle. Maybe Lucie would like that. Jane pouted, pondering the idea. She coulld see her daughter pleased to have a new one. She loved riding one in the city. But then it wouldn't be very creative and she already had a good one. When the brunette had found out about the price, she had even had a mini-heart attack. Constance did not joke when she said that she wanted the best for her granddaughters.

"Well, Alba... Come over here!" Frost motioned at the teenager to approach. As much as he wasn't biologically linked to the twins, Jane and Maura had always considered him as an uncle for their daughters and the girls liked him a lot.

"What's going on?" Adjusting her dress – in a typical Jane Rizzoli way which included making a face and repressing a sigh of annoyance before the unusual outfit – Alba took a sip of her fruit juice and raised an eyebrow at her mother's colleague.

"Nice dress, kid."

She nodded politely at Korsak. Not that she was convinced. Lately, she had developed a passion for worn-out jeans and loose shirts. Old tennis shoes. Seeing her in an elegant black dress was almost borderline if Maura had to be honest.

Cute but borderline.

Unlike Lucie who had a very feminine style and whom Jane forced to slow down on a latent stiletto passion.

"So you're gonna be sixteen soon. The bid deal. What kind of present would you like to get?" Frost smiled at his niece, proud enough while his own son played with children of his age a bit further down the room.

Alba pouted – squinted her eyes in concentration – and danced on her feet, uncertain. She finally crossed her arms on her chest and sighed after a long moment of hesitation.

"A locker."

The group of adults blinked at her, completely taken aback.

Frost shook his head. He seemed confused. "A locker? What for?"

Alba nodded and motioned with her head at Jane and Maura. "To lock these two in their bedroom so I make sure to never ever walk in on them again going on at it on the couch of the living-room." She shuddered.

Jane turned red like a brick.

Maura gasped. "We weren't having sex. We had fallen asleep afterward. You woke us up." Pause. Nod. "Nuance."


	34. Sixteen and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you very much for all the reviews!**_

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Sixteen and a Half Years Old**

"Congratulations!"

Jane jumped with surprise, a hand on her heart; the other one still holding the car keys. She frowned and shook her head as the light got turned on and everyone appeared in sight by the fireplace.

"You want to send me straight to the ER?" Her laugh resounded loud nonetheless, echoing the smile on her lips as she opened her arms to welcome Maura against her own body. She let her wife plant a kiss on her cheek before shaking her head in disbelief.

"Surprise...?" Maura winked, delighted.

Jane nodded and accepted the beer that Frost held out to her. Over thirty people were standing in the living-room under a bunch of multicolored 'congratulations' signs. Friends – relatives – colleagues.

Lucie and Alba wearing proud smiles.

"Alright, Sergeant. Do you still accept to talk to us or we've officially been relegated to the past?" A snap on his shoulder from his sister didn't put an end to Frankie's good mood. On the contrary. "Hey! You should watch out your gestures. That'd cost you a lot, now!"

A promotion. She had been thinking about it for a while but if it hadn't been for Maura – as well as their daughters – pushing her to go for it, she would probably still be a detective. And there she was now. Oddly uncertain of whether she should be happy if only because it emphasized the passing of time and she hated it.

Korsak approached, smiled at her; warmly. "I always knew that you'd steal my position. You had it all for that."

Jane laughed. "You retired a few years ago. At least I've been polite enough to wait a little." Hand on Maura's waist, she shook her head at her ex-colleague and laughed along with him.

She really hadn't expected any party whatsoever. Just a coffee and some teasing at work, maybe. It had been a tough – stressing – month at the BPD and nobody had been in the mood to celebrate the slightest thing. Her promotion had been passed under silence. Or at least she had thought so.

As everyone was stopping by to congratulate her, Jane's attention got caught by Alba who was now chatting with a teenager boy she had never met before. She got tense, instinctively enough.

Red alert: activated.

"Who is he?" The Italian took advantage of a five-second break to hiss her question to Maura, teeth clenched out of discretion. Unless she was just too angry to properly express herself.

Quick motion of the head towards their daughter.

Maura pursed her lips – squinted her eyes – and shrugged. "I am not sure. We found him out on the streets and assumed that he could fit in for the evening." She smiled.

Jane counted until three in her head and – realizing that she hadn't hallucinated – stared blankly at her wife. Since when the scientist joked around?

Amused, the blonde passed a hand around Jane's waist to drag her closer for a kiss and laughed just against her ear. "He is Haumea's boyfriend. Relax... There is nothing to be afraid of. At least not with this one."

Jane raised a dubious eyebrow. "He's kind of cute."

Maura nodded. "I know..."

...

"Straighten up, Alba."

The adolescent obliged, for thirty seconds. When Maura turned her head around to look at her anew she realized that her daughter was now leaning against a column; sipping on her Starbucks drink.

_Don't roll your eyes, Isles. Don't sigh. Let go of it, really. It isn't worth it. Not at all. _

Certain to find comfort in Lucie, Maura turned around but made a face as she noticed her daughter on the floor. The teenager was sitting Indian style, quietly. Reading the latest edition of _Vogue_.

Fantastic.

Trying to repress a remark, the medical examiner focused back on the doors of the terminal. Jane's flight had landed ten minutes earlier. She should join them soon, now.

If she had a chance to notice them.

Maura wrinkled her nose. The airport was crowded and people didn't stop bumping into her or rolling their suitcase on her feet. To make it short: it was a nightmare.

And the twins weren't helping.

_So much for a 'welcome back home' family moment, Isles. Really. _Maura bit her lower lip, plunged her hands in the depth of the pockets of her coat. Perhaps she should have insisted and made sure – one way or another – that Jane would remain in California for an extra couple of days. Flying back to Boston for Thanksgiving was pure suicide. Who cared if – for once – the brunette wouldn't be home for the holidays? It was just fine.

_C'est la vie._

Since she had been promoted to sergeant, Jane's schedule had considerably thickened and she had – quite soon – had to deal with many business trips all around the country.

Her new responsibilities made her go and work with different units of different cities way more often. Especially right now as the BPD – and her team – were working on a tough case of a series of unsolved murders; nation wide. So now between Jane's trips and Maura's own ones, the family daily schedule had been seriously – and for an undetermined amount of time – shaken up.

The doors opened, Maura held her breath and cast a glance at her daughters. "Lucie, stand up. Alba, straighten up. They are coming through. Don't you know how to behave in public?"

Maura had just finished her sentence when she spotted Jane by the door.

Within a second, she made her way – impatiently enough – through the crowd and threw herself on her wife's neck; wrapping her legs around the brunette's waist as if she were sixteen and owned the world. Literally.

A month and a half. She hadn't seen Jane for a month and a half.

Losing slightly her balance – taken by surprise – the Italian laughed away the spontaneity of Maura and held her tight. They kissed. Maybe not as eagerly as teens but sill.

"Jeez, so much for behaving in public." As her mothers turned around to look at her, Lucie raised an eyebrow and shook her head; a smirk on her lips.

"This is so inappropriate... It's a miracle we turned out to be so great, Lu'." Sipping on her drink and smiling brightly, Alba shrugged at her sister but gladly took Jane in her arms to welcome her back.

"I'll pass on this comment but only because I'm starving." Adjusting her travel bag on her shoulder, Jane grabbed Maura's hand and let her guide them through the crowd, towards the parking lot.

"I am on call. Hopefully nobody will choke on a turkey or get murdered, knocked off by a pecan pie." Maura winked, visibly in a very good mood. It was the first time in years that she worked for such holidays. She wasn't pleased but Jane's comeback made the whole thing brighter.

"So I don't know if it's too early but I was thinking about Christmas..."

Knowing better than to not get psychologically prepared for whatever was coming from Lucie, her mothers remained quiet and raised an apprehensive eyebrow.

The teenager kept on talking, way too casually. "A medical examiner and a sergeant, the paycheck must be good enough now for you to get me Tiffany's earrings for Christmas!"

Jane closed her eyes for a few seconds as a heavy silence fell over the elevator they were in. Maybe California had been relaxing, actually. Now that she thought about it.

"I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear anything and that you actually came all the way from Beacon Hill to Logan Airport just to welcome me back. And nothing else." Jane marked a pause, grinned.

Lucie rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on her fashion magazine. Lips pursed. She was upset in the same way as Maura was when she didn't get what she wanted from Jane.

"I mean from a logistic point of view, it'd be awesome... But let's make sure Maura isn't called for a crime scene at _our_ home. Understood?" Jane raised an eyebrow at Lucie. The teen nodded. "What is the reason of your presence here? In all honesty... I love you two – a lot – but I also know that you'd prefer to have stayed in bed instead of coming all the way to the airport to welcome me."

Lucie cast a furtive glance at her sister but remained quiet. Maura giggled and opened the trunk of the car to let Jane put her bag in it. They all settled in the Prius.

"Grandma showed up with a new turkey recipe."

Jane made a face. She knew this situation way too well. How many times had she tried to escape it? When her mother walked in a kitchen, the safest thing to do was to run away from it. As soon as possible. Her own daughters had learned it the hard way.

"Oh." The Italian marked a pause – pondered the situation – and pouted. "Maur'... It's snowing and all. Can't we just pretend we're stuck on the road and stop by a diner instead? Let's make it home a bit later... You know, for our sake."

Maura gasped, offended by the idea. "Jane!" She started the engine and drove away. "We cannot do that. I have bought an excellent bottle of wine and I don't want to wait until 6pm to taste it." She scoffed. "I should have taken it with me, then. Now it is too late. No... Let's just discreetly park and go for a little walk for a while."


	35. Seventeen Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the reviews!**_

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Seventeen Years Old**

Pleasantly surprised, Maura passed the door of her office – walked into the room – and planted a warm kiss on Alba's cheek. The visit was completely unexpected, especially at this time of the day. It had been a few years now that her daughters objected to stopping by the BPD and the morgue.

"How are you? Is everything alright?" Maura smiled, brightly. When her assistant had told her that Alba was waiting for her, she had been slightly apprehensive. If the adolescent only came on rare – if not just exceptional – occasions then she must have had a delicate reason to do so now. But Alba seemed to be in one piece and rather joyful.

"Yeah, perfectly fine. Sorry if I worried you." The young girl sat back on the couch and accepted the mug of tea that her mother held out to her. She took a sip – in silence – then looked all around.

"Great!" Maura nodded enthusiastically. Hard to believe that her daughter had only stopped by with the intention to say hi. Obviously, there was something else; something she didn't dare to say. "How did it go in French?"

Alba shrugged rather casually. "Oh, fine. It was just a regular test. No big deal."

Silence. An uncomfortable one. Maura took a sip of her own tea and – before her daughter's doubts – sighed heavily. "What is going on?"

The adolescent made a face – seemed to hesitate – but finally took a sheet of paper out of her bag. "I need you to sign this." She cleared her voice and looked at the floor.

Maura frowned before grabbing the paper in question. "Are you in trouble? What have you done? I hope this isn't school related. You know how Jane and I are..."

But as she cast a glance at the text – recognized the logo on top of the papersheet – the medical examiner froze; swallowed hard.

"I need... I need your authorization to see if I have a chance to know who my father is. The clinic is asking for it because I'm a minor."

Maura's blood turned icy, hurting in her veins; wrapping up her heart of a painful embrace. And the tears, flirting with the edge of her eyes. She took a deep breath.

"You don't have any father. You have two mothers."

The honey blonde's sharp tone of voice didn't pass unnoticed. Blushing, Alba nodded and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's not what I meant. Biological... Genitor...? It's not against you and it won't change anything – I got the whole lecture from _The Kids Are Alright_ you made us watch over and over – but... I want to know."

It was a shock for Maura. At no moment had the twins felt the urge to know anything regarding this. She and Jane hadn't hidden the procedure. On the contrary. Right from the beginning, they had tried to explain it to their daughters but still, such request – now – hurt the scientist.

"Have we done something wrong? Do you... Do you have anything you would reproach to us that... All of a sudden, you show such a strong desire to know about this stranger?"

Alba shook her head, barely repressing a chuckle. "Of course not! You two are great moms, really... It's just we did this family tree thing at school and... I don't know. Now I'd like to know this side of my life. He's not my family – you and mommy are – but still, I wouldn't be here without him." The young girl shrugged, not knowing what to add. "Do you see what I mean? Haumea met the guy Guadalupe had chosen. I don't see why I couldn't."

The worst of all was that Alba's request was fair enough but for some reason, Maura felt threatened by the idea. And worried. Haumea's biological father had turned out to be nice but what if it weren't the case, here? What if...

Uncomfortable – barely noticing the way she was clutched to her tea mug – the blonde frowned. "It might go wrong... First of all, he might have chosen to remain anonymous and I guess he was." _For Christ's sake, Isles. You don't remember such detail? _"Or maybe... What if he passed away? I don't want you to be disappointed, honey. And I have to talked about it to Jane first. I am sorry but I will not sign this without letting her know about your request."

Last year of high school. Within a few months, Lucie and Alba would go to college. If Maura had – indeed – imagined that the road leading to such big change wouldn't be peaceful, it hadn't crossed her mind that it would go like this. Not at all.

"How about your sister? Is she also eager to know about him?" Maura squinted her eyes at Alba. If one of the twins had felt the urge to investigate then she knew for a fact that the other one wasn't far behind.

"She's divided but mostly because she doesn't want to piss you off."

Maura raised an eyebrow. "Whereas _you_ don't mind about it, obviously." Unconvinced, she looked down at the sheet of paper and bit her lips. "I will talk about it to Jane. We will see."

"What made you choose this one more than another?" Alba settled further on the couch and locked her eyes with her mother's. Now she was at ease, and focused.

"His I.Q." She marked a pause and shrugged. "Alright... And his physical description. Jane was way too scared that you might have been red-headed little girls so we made sure this wouldn't happen."

Alba burst out laughing. "How shallow is this!"

...

Feverishly – casting a glance here and there to make sure that nobody had followed her – Jane held her breath and turned the computer on. It was way too slow, she should have chosen her tablet. Not even able to organize herself the slightest bit. That was sad.

But as she managed to log on Facebook, everything was forgotten and she let a smile of victory – a large one – play on her lips.

_Spending the evening with Charles_

She raised an eyebrow, her senses in alert. And then read the note under the status notification.

_It's a dog, mommy. Thank you for stopping by and spying on me nonetheless._

Oops. Jane chuckled, out of nervousness. At least nobody would know that she had actually had a chance to read this. For once, she had managed to remain somewhat discreet.

"N°9 At The Park, 8.30pm. Please make sure to wear your... What are you doing?"

And busted.

Maura approached – wrapped in nothing but a bath towel and widened her eyes in sheer terror. "Oh my God. You are spying on Alba again. Will you ever stop doing that, Jane? She is in Europe for a couple of months, with her sister. At my parents'. For the summer... You are obsessed. Do you know who you look like when you do that? Your own mother."

The attack was tough but fair enough. Jane had turned into one of these possessive and protective – to say the least – mothers. Next thing the scientist knew, her wife would requisition the kitchen and push everyone out of it for holidays. Maura hadn't forgotten her very own turkey incident a couple of years earlier when she had dared to suggest to Angela to pour a bit of white wine on the poultry. She had officially been blacklisted, that day; Jane accused of having corrupted her in the way.

"Oh come on, Maur'. They don't talk to us anymore about their life. I don't really have a choice. We barely got to know Lucie and Madeline broke up. Alba is so, so quiet now. Remember when pretty much all our dinners revolved around her crushes? Well now we have to be geniuses to get a word from her."

The honey blonde smiled and passed an arm around Jane's neck before planting a stolen kiss on her temple. "They were pre-teens. Now they are secretive, like all the adolescents of their age. The last months have been hard for them. You know it. Leave them alone, honey."

Jane pouted. Maura was right. Lucie and Alba had experienced a huge disappointment after learning that their sperm donor had decided to remain anonymous. They would never get to know him unlike Haumea. The Italian had never said it out loud but she found it weird to see that their maternal choice – an important one – had cruised for seventeen years on peaceful waters before hitting a storm.

Just when she had assumed that everything had been sorted out.

"Blame the fact we're stuck in Boston for work. If we were on vacation, I would piss everyone off for other reasons. This sucks." Arms crossed on her chest, Jane shook her head and sighed.

"We are going to Italy at the end of August..."

Scrolling Alba's Facebook wall absentmindedly, Jane raised an eyebrow and murmured some vague affirmative reply.

"They are seventeen, dammit. Gosh we're so old, Maura."

"But still young enough to do plenty of things..."

Jane didn't miss the implicit suggestion. Smirking, she turned around to properly look at her wife and shook her head. "Sex doesn't solve it all, you know."

The honey blonde burst out laughing. "No, indeed. But it surely helps the medicine go down." With fluidity, she sat on Jane's lap and passed her arms around the brunette's waist.

"If you say so, Mary Poppins."


	36. Seventeen and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the reviews; I take note of the suggestions; as for the names, I stick to the fact the twins go to French school with, thus, French expats whose names are popular in France.**_

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Seventeen and a Half Years Old**

"I can't find it..."

Focused on the ceiling – her hands tapping nervously on both sides of the matress – Jane sighed but winced in pain. Apparently, even breathing had turned complicated. A cell phone rang in the house.

"Oh, it must be Brad. Here's my bag, the painkillers are somewhere in it. Look for them!" Alba let go of said bag next to her mother and ran out of the bedroom.

Brad. Jane rolled her eyes, mumbling away her disapproval. The boy was nice but she couldn't get over his name. It had been a source of conflict and she still had in mind Maura's shocked face when she had said his name sucked.

But that was the way it was: she hated her daughter's boyfriend for him to have such a soap opera name. Yet she was in progress and had stopped making fun of him.

One thing at a time.

Unable to move, she grabbed the bag blindly and plunged her hand inside. Had Alba so many things in that purse that she couldn't find the tissues anymore?

So much for Maura teaching her a way to have the whole thing organized.

But suddenly, her fingers hit a rectangular pack and put an end to her wonders. She let a smile of victory play on her lips and took the object out of the bag. Perfect. Although she wouldn't get water to take the painkillers down. Her sciatica prevented her from moving an inch. And Maura was still in the bathroom having a shower.

She lifted the pack in the air to properly open it then froze. Her smile disappeared right away.

_What the f..._

Red alert: activated.

"Maura!"

Who cared about the honey blonde's shower? There were suddenly more improtant things to face – right in this room – and without waiting a second more.

"What?" Stifled voice. Not in the shower anymore but obviously not in the bedroom either.

Trying to not sigh anew – if only to spare herself another wave of excruciating pain – Jane pursed her lips.

"Come over here! And make it now!"

Stifled steps. Jane turned her head around and frowned as her wife finally walked in, wrapped in a bathrobe; her hair still up in a towel. A green clay facial mask on.

"What is going on? Have you moved? I told you to remain still."

Instead of replying, Jane held out of the box to Maura and raised a confused eyebrow. The scientist grabbed it; squinted her eyes at it.

"Oh. Why do you take..."

Scoff. Pain. "It belongs to Alba. I found it in her bag. Have you forgotten to tell me something about her or she didn't mention it to you either?"

Unable to stop staring at the box, Maura shook her head but suddenly frowned at her wife. "I can't believe that even stuck in bed you manage to spy on our daughter. Jane, you are a lost cause! How dare you do something like that? It is violation of privacy."

"What?! I didn't! She was looking for tissues in it – for me – when this twat of Brad called. So she left me with the bag, asking me to look for them myself... And this is when I came across it." Jane marked a pause but scoffed – offended – as she realized that Maura didn't seem to believe her. "I swear it's the truth! As you said, I'm stuck in bed. How would I be able to have her bag if she had not brought it herself?"

Fair point. Jane barely hid a smile. Her BPD experience coud finally serve her outside of work. It was definitely about time.

"Alright..." Uncertain of the way things were supposed to turn in now, Maura chewed on her lower lip and sat on the bed. "I guess we should confront her."

"You bet we should! And bring Lucie along. Who knows what this one's hiding from us. Ugh!" Fist clenched, Jane squinted her eyes at the ceiling; swearing against her sciatica. If it hadn't been for it, she would have already rushed to Alba's room.

"Jane... Calm down, okay? I am as surprised – and disappointed that she didn't tell us about it – than you are but it isn't a reason to scare her. We knew that this would happen one day or another..."

Silence.

Maura sighed. "Fine." She turned around towards the door left open. "Lucie! Alba! Come over here, please. There is something we would like to talk about."

The cello stopped somewhere in the background and soon enough Lucie appeared in the door frame unsure of whether she should come in. Alba joined her, still on the phone.

"It's not me!"

Lucie's complain made Maura chuckle. They hadn't even mentioned anything. How come the twin could assume that the situation was somewhat critic?

"We know that. But still, come over here and sit down. Alba, put an end to this call immediately or I will do it for you."

The girl rolled her eyes but nonetheless obliged and joined her sister by the bed. "What's going on?"

Maura waved at the box she was still holding. "Since when are you on the pill?"

Jane scoffed – shook her head – but remained quiet; desperately stuck laid on her back, staring way too angrily at the ceiling. Perfect timing for a family talk, really.

"Oh..."

"This is all you have to say, Al'? How did you get them and why you didn't tell us in the first place? Damn, Maura is a physician!"

Suddenly nervous and uncomfortable, the adolescent twisted her hands and looked down at them.

"I know but it's not easy to talk to you about... This. Although I didn't sleep with Brad! I... I swear I didn't... We didn't do anything."

Jane frowned. Somehow, the news were comforting. "Were you afraid of telling us? Seriously? For years we told you that it was fine and sex was okay – as long as you are thirty-five – and that if you felt the urge to come to us to talk about it then it was just great... What happened? You don't trust us or what?"

Her tone of voice didn't reflect anger but pain, and disappointment. Because this was exactly what it was in the end. Their daughter hadn't come to talk to them about an important stage of her life. Jane felt – ridiculously enough perhaps – betrayed.

"And why are you on the pill if you don't sleep with Brad? Or whoever has a decent name. It's not an acne issue, you don't have any. Unbearable cramps? It doesn't seem like so either."

Alba shrugged at Jane's questions. "Because I want to be ready for the day it happens." She marked a pause, ran her tongue over her lips. "You should be pleased to see I'm being responsible."

"And we are but what were you afraid of that you didn't tell us?" Maura locked her eyes with Alba's and sighed, visibly upset. "We would have booked an appointment for you... Just as we had always told you that we would when you felt ready for it."

The adolescent shrugged. She seemed embarrassed. "I don't know. I guess I wanted it to come from me and be something I'd be in charge of from the beginnig to the end. Without you making it easier. A sort of... Adult decision from me." She cast a glance at her sister. "Gosh I'd have been a lesbian... At least Lucie doesn't need any of this to sleep with Barbara!"

Maura snapped her head at Lucie. Jane tried to repeat the gesture but the angle was such that all she managed to face turned out to be the wall. She cringed.

"Who is Barbara?" Maura blinked, swallowed hard. _Way to go, Isles. Within five minutes you get to find out that one of your daughters is on the pill while the other is – apparently – sexually active. _

"Err..." Lucie shot a frosty glare at Alba and pursed her lips; her cheeks turning red like a brick. "A girl from school...?"

"What's with the question mark? You don't even know whom you're sleeping with?"

Maura buried her face in her hands before Jane's sudden outburst and mentally said goodbye to the quiet evening she had hoped to spend at home. Sadly, the next hours would be about trying to calm her wife down which was mission impossible. Jane was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Her sciatica not really helping.

"What is it that you two don't share with us those precious – important – moments of your lives? I don't get it... Do we look like monsters or something?"

Jane smirked and pondered Maura's question. She was stuck in bed – on her back – and the blonde was having the conversation of her motherhood life while wearing a green clay facial mask. It may not make of them monsters but excentric parents, definitely.

Alba and Lucie 1 - 0 Jane and Maura


	37. Eighteen Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the reviews!**_

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Eighteen Years Old**

They had stayed at the airport – sitting quietly at a cafe looking at the world going on – for a long time before finding the courage to go home.

An empty home. Cold.

This time they had left, for good. Lucie had moved to New York City to attend The Art Institute - in the hope to start a career in fashion design – while Alba had made it to Cambridge where she would graduate in psychology. She wanted to become a caseworker.

So much for having told Jane over and over that it wouldn't happen.

Maura took a sip of her drink and made a face. She looked at the table, shook her head. "Something tells me this cocktail won't do it. I need at least a bottle of Tequila, tonight."

If it hadn't been for Jane – who had insisted – she would have stayed in bed and cried her eyes out in her wife's arms. Not that the brunette's dark eyes weren't red and puffy but she had developed a positivity that Maura surely didn't have.

Lisa raised an eyebrow in defeat and nodded. "What happened that they're already gone? Why did it go so fast?"

Obviously, she and Guadalupe were in the same disastrous state as Jane and Maura even if Haumea had left a year before already. For California. Double sentence. At least the twins were still more or less in the area. Alba was twenty minutes away from Beacon Hill. It was nothing. But she wouldn't show up any time soon either, Jane knew it.

"Eighteen years old... Can you believe it? Now they will come back for Thanksgiving. Good thing – I guess – we have demanding jobs or else I don't know how I would overcome all this."

Maura swallowed hard and rested her head on Jane's shoulder as she felt her wife pat her back in a gentle motion. Going out for the evening was a good idea. The movie they had watched had turned out to be good enough and the bar they were now at was friendly: cheerful. She simply dreaded the moment they would go back home. And the next morning when their daughters wouldn't show up for breakfast.

She hated it.

"You're working tomorrow, Maur'. Something tells me a whole bottle of Tequila isn't the best thing to have tonight."

Death glare.

Jane raised her hands in the air apologetically. "Okay. Never mind."

Guadalupe giggled. "I'd love telling you that you'll get used to it but the truth is... You don't. Sorry... Maybe you should go to New York, one of these days... And surprise Lucie. Same for Alba. I wish we could do that more often with Haumea but now she's into her second year, she moves a lot from one shooting place to another. She'd better become a talented movie director or else I'll sue her for having chosen the West Coast."

Maura smiled – cast a brief glance at Jane – and shrugged, uncertain of the whole thing. "Something tells me Lucie and Alba want their independance... Which is fair. It is our role now to take a bit of a distance from them. As long as they know they can come back home any time."

"See the bright side, Maura. You too are getting your independance back. You can watch what you want on television, have your privacy even in the living-room... It's a win. Trust me." Lisa winked as Jane choked on her drink.

Alright. The art dealer was not wrong. At least now Alba wouldn't walk in on them unexpectedly as she used to. It was a bonus point. For Jane. Maura couldn't care less about this.

"How are Rizzoli and Isles doing?" Guadalupe offered a large smile at her friends, eager to know a bit more about the two kittens that Lucie and Alba had got for their mothers.

Jane groaned. "I can't believe they named them after us!" She chuckled. All in all, she had to say it was rather funny. Or least unusual and dysfunctional as Alba would love saying. "Isles is quiet and of course Rizzoli is the tornado. At this point I don't even want to comment any comparison. Like... None."

Maura rolled her eyes – amused by her wife's reaction – and bit her lips; a bit sorry. Rizzoli – a cute little black cat – was worse than Coco Loco at the same age whereas Isles – a delicate tabby kitten – spent her time on top of the medical examiner's desk, observing the world going on; moving only as Angela stepped into the kitchen and opened the fridge to prepare lasagnas.

If she and Jane had been uncertain as the girls had brought them home, the honey blonde had to recognize that their presence was comforting enough.

Especially now.

They loved cuddling and purred a lot. They would come in handy for the slight depression that Jane and Maura could feel coming.

"Rizzoli doesn't like sleeping alone. She cries when we don't allow her to stay with us in bed for a while. That reminds me of Lucie when she was a baby. Not that Alba was any quieter..." Maura bit her lower lip and frowned, suddenly lost in the blurry reminiscence.

"Well, she will learn. Our daughters did. There's no reason for her to not to. And stop scratching my hair as well. She's mistaking it for a freaking cat tree."

This time, Maura burst out laughing. Openly, loudly. To the point tears began to appear at the corner of her eyes. Sweeping them away – trying to not mess her mascara – she shook her head at her wife and sighed.

If it went on and Rizzoli didn't stop, Jane wouldn't have to worry about dying her hair so often. And now the honey blonde thought about it, it was actually a rather hopeful possibility. She still had not forgotten the day the Italian had found a gray hair. Nor the scream that had accompanied it.

And then Jane said that she wasn't dramatic.

"You must have a hormonal charge that attracts kittens, honey. I cannot explain it any other way..." Vaguely sorry – yet betrayed by her amused smile – Maura pushed away a strand of hair from Jane's face and planted a kiss on her cheek. One she hoped comforting enough.

...

"Admit it. You love Rizzoli." Isles on her lap – settled in bed – the physician smiled at Jane playing with the other kitten.

As planned, the house had seemed cold when they had come back from the bar but the cats had not left them a single second of rest. They had rushed to them right away to the point it had taken a long time to feed a scared Bass who had lost the habit of having crazy companions around.

Jane shrugged at the comment, pouted. Not really eager to give in. "Well, they are small so they do require attention. Full time attention. And at least these babies won't try to get their independance – and shit – to go to college."

Repressing the urge to make Jane apologize for her questionnable choice of words, Maura focused back on the tabby kitten purring on her lap and frowned. Cat ladies. They were about to turn into a bunch of cat ladies. This was slightly dramatic.

"What do you think they are doing? Lucie and Alba... It is midnight, Friday evening... What do you think they are doing?"

Jane cringed. "I prefer not to think about what my college student daughters are doing on a Friday night. You won't get me on that one, Maur'. Nope..."

Maura rolled her eyes, snapped her wife's shoulder. "They are both single, relax. Shouldn't you be happy now that Alba dumped this poor Brad?"

"Oh, I am. But there are zillion of Brad outside, waiting for nothing but... Having their way with her especially on a Friday night. On a campus. As for Lucie, she's probably unpacking in her room. She sent us a message every two hours as you requested. You, Big Brother..."

Scoff. Caressing Isles with one hand, Maura turned around and looked – shocked – at Jane. "It has to be a joke. You are the one who asked her to do so – I quote – 'to make sure that everything was alright because we never know the first night'. Recognize it at least!"

Jane pouted and crossed her arms on her chest. "This is not what I said. What is it that you always have to distort my words?" She marked a pause – looked at Maura – and frowned. "Oh, whatever!"

The medical examiner laughed lightly before laying down; settling to fall asleep. Isles moved a bit. Only a bit. This whole bed cuddle thing was a very bad idea.

"Can you put them back in their basket by the bed?" Maura motioned at the kittens.

"They're going to cry... Do you think we might roll on them while sleeping? If not then maybe they can stay with us. You know, just tonight."

Maura was about to reply when the reminiscence of another time hit her. The same had happened with the twins. As she had come back from the hospital, they hadn't dared to take a nap with them in bed; too afraid to roll over the girls and cause some fatal accident. She smiled. Maybe nothing – absolutely nothing – had changed since that time.

_Except that you are talking about cats, Isles. Do you even realize that you are comparing Lucie and Alba to kittens? This is incredibly sad. And worrying. Now put them back in the basket immediately._

"Okay... But just for tonight."

_Cat lady, Isles!_


	38. Eighteen and a Half Years Old

_**Author's note: thank you for all the reviews, it's always a pleasure to read them; the final chapter will be posted tomorrow and on Monday, I will start a new fic.**_

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Eighteen and a Half Years Old**

"Are you sure it's the right key?"

Maura turned around – stared, annoyed, at Jane – and sighed heavily. "Are you insinuating that I am stupid enough to take the wrong one with me?"

Alba chuckled and dropped her travel bag on the floor. But instead of helping her mothers, she just leaned against the wall and plunged her hands in the pockets of her worn-out jeans.

For many, her reaction would have seemed to be the wrong one but she knew better than to throw herself in such a typical Rizzoli-Isles scene.

Maura focused back on the door until a metallic sound pierced the silence. She straightened up and smirked at Jane. "See?" Without waiting for any reply, she walked in and dropped her own bag just by the door.

They were in advance. Just to create an effect of surprise, they had decided to take an earlier flight to New York for the weekend they had planned to spend with Lucie. Second year of college for the twins. Needless to say they showed up less and less at the Beacon Hill townhouse.

To the point now Jane and Maura had to settle family reunions five months in advance to make sure they would see them.

"There's nobody in there." Alba walked out of the living-room and shrugged. So much for a surprise effect. Really.

Jane was about to suggest a quick lunch at the Italian restaurant just at the corner when a stifled yet clear sound made them all turn quiet. It had come from a bedroom. A thief? Her senses in alert, the brunette motioned at Alba and Maura to remain behind her as she moved towards the corridor. She knew that this area sucked. She had said it over and over. It wasn't a safe place.

Not at all.

She grabbed the doorknob and took a deep breath. Silence seemed to have won back its reign over the apartment. Perhaps the sound had only been caused by a precarious pile of books that had ended up succumbing to the law of gravity.

In a quick – sharp – motion, she opened the door and placed herself at the safest spot only to freeze for way too long seconds.

"Sorry!" She closed the door back, rushing to the corridor only to bump in Maura who had followed her.

"Ah!" Hand on her heart, Jane rolled her eyes at her wife and pushed her towards the living-room; trying desperately to ignore the wave of heat that had rushed up her cheeks.

Alba – who had remained on the couch – stood up as she saw her mothers coming back but frowned at them. "What's going on?"

Jane giggled, out of nervousness and embarrassment. She hurried to the window – opened it in spite of the cold temperatures of winter – and leaned against the sill with a fake casualness.

"Err well..." She ran a hand through her hair and cast a frosty glance at Maura. This was the last – very last – time that she accepted one of her wife's stupid ideas to show up in advance somewhere.

"So you're all there... I thought your plane landed at 3.30pm!" Her hair a mess, Lucie appeared by the door of the living room, wearing clothes that didn't match at all. Such detail would have not got any importance at all if it had come from anyone else but her. She was a fashionista.

This only emphasized the lack of time she had had to get dressed.

Clearing her voice – embarrassed like her mother – she forced a smile and accepted Maura's hug as the honey blonde approached her; confused about her and Jane's reaction... Until a brunette showed up in the corridor; her blouse buttoned all upside down. Alba began to chuckle hysterically.

She turned to Jane and grinned. "See what I went through during all these years when I was walking in on you and mom?" Although more amused than anything, the young college student approached the mysterious brunette and winked. "I'm Alba. Lu's sister. And you are...?"

Maura pursed her lips, uncertain of the way she was supposed to interpret Alba's hesitation. In spite of studying in different cities, the twins called each other every day and knew everything from each other's life. Did that mean Lucie multiplied lovers that Alba had no idea who the current one was?

"Mae. I'm Mae. Nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you!" A bit intimidated, the young woman turned towards Maura who happened to be the closest to her and held out her hand. "Nice... Nice to meet you too. You must be Maura."

Taken aback but not forgetting basic rules of politeness, the medical examiner nodded and shook the girl's hand before motioning not so discreetly at Jane to walk till the small group gathered by such a ridiculously small door frame. Reluctantly, the detective obliged and shook Mae's hand.

"I am deeply sorry but I can't stay. I have a class in a couple of hours. I should go... Anyway, it is a family reunion so I leave you alone. Enjoy your stay in New York."

Lucie smiled at her but didn't try any gesture of affection whatsoever. "Mae is in med school. The university is a bit far from here. She wants to be a neurosurgeon."

"Oh you do?" Suddenly extremely pleased, Maura turned back towards the young woman and let a huge grin light up her features. "Come for brunch on Sunday. I would love having you there!"

Mae smiled politely and nodded; unsure of what she was supposed to say. Timidly, she excused her sudden departure and left.

"A neurosurgeon and you didn't tell us about it!" Maura smirked at Lucie before going to sit down on the couch. Obviously, she had already forgotten the delicate situation that had happened only a few minutes earlier.

Unlike Jane.

"I see that New York is treating you well!" _What on Earth, Rizzoli? Do you even realize what you've just said? Now this is the double-entendre of the century. And addressed to your daughter! _"I mean err... You look great!"

Alba was still chuckling in her corner. Perhaps catching this early flight hadn't been such a bad idea in the end.

"Okay so I don't know for you but I'm starving and mom has – of course – planned one of these just awful and inhuman schedules for the day so instead of staying here, let's go have a bite somewhere."

Lucie nodded at her sister's comment. "Excellent idea! Just let me a few minutes to err... Find some more proper clothes... And I'll take you to one of the best bistros of the neighborhood. You're going to love the East Village!"

A bistro? Jane repressed a sigh. This was it. Her daughter had officially turned into a hipster. Next thing she knew, Lucie would be moving to Brooklyn and start growing her own vegetables on her building tiny roof.

"It's an Italian bistro, mommy." As if Lucie had read in the brunette's thoughts, she winked at her and ran back to her bedroom to change.

Jane pouted. Alright. Perhaps some hipsters were more acceptable than others. She grabbed one of the magazines abandoned on the coffee table and began to leaf through it. Architecture. Obviously this belonged to Penelope, Lucie's roommate who had left for the weekend; heading back home to Michigan. A sweet girl, hardworking enough. If at first she and Maura had been worried about their daughter having a roommate instead of staying in a dorm, they had soon been reassured when they had met Penelope who had become one of Lucie's closest New York friends.

"Maybe next time we will run across your own boyfriend, Alba." Maura raised an eyebrow at her daughter and smiled amusingly.

"No chance you do. I'm single."

Jane nodded, somewhat following the conversation. Very vaguely. For some reason, the magazine turned out to be more interesting than what she had assumed.

"Which is so unexpected. Since you are nine years old, you don't stop talking about boys and going on dates with them. What happened that all of this suddenly ceased?" Maura frowned.

"And it's perfectly fine like this." Jane hissed between clenched teeth. Not that she was genuine. It was obvious that Alba wasn't leading the Virgin Mary way of life either.

Alba snorted and walked to the window to look at the life going on outside. "I mostly spend all my time with LGBT associations. The only guys I meet are gay. And I know I can't turn them any other way. It's vain!"

Jane barely hid a smile of satisfaction. For both comments. She was proud to see her daughter fight for people's rights to the point she wanted to make of it her professional career. Alba would do a lot of good things.

Great accomplishments. She had a lot of empathy.

"Alright, I'm ready!"

Lucie came back in the living-room. All smiles.

Jane stood up – walked to her daughter – and planted a loud kiss on her cheek. "I've missed you, Lu ..."


	39. Nineteen Years Old

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Nineteen Years Old**

**Epilogue**

"It must be weird but we actually never really celebrate our wedding anniversary. No. For us, it's not the most important date on the calendar. Ours is March, 23rd. This is when Maura and I went... Somewhat different in our relation and the coincidence wants that a year later, she gave birth to our daughters; Lucie and Alba. So this is when it all started. This is why we're all gathered tonight and not in a few months. It's been twenty years that my life started making sense. Twenty years that we changed it all. For the best." Jane raised her glass of champagne – a bit clumsily – and smiled at the few people gathered on the beach. "Thank you all for being here, today. Actually, thank you for all the things you did for us since the very beginning. Our life wouldn't be as bright as it is if you had not been around. To our friends and relatives!"

Relieved that the attention had finally faded away from her own persona, Jane rushed to Maura who was standing a bit further on the Dominican beach and sipped half of her drink to forget about what she could only see as a ridiculous speech.

"Considering the amount of times we have come back to the Club Med, the last thing they could do was to privatize half of the resort for our twentieth anniversary..."

Jane nodded and joyfully passed a gentle arm on her wife's waist. "And they did! Mind you, I'm so glad everyone could join. It was not the cheapest anniversary they could take part in."

Maura smiled back and looked how their daughters were already dancing by the pool with Haumea, another 'Club Med' child. Twenty years had passed by since their special mission to the Dominican Republic but if she closed her eyes, the honey blonde had the feeling that it all had happened only a few days before.

She remembered everything; from the waltz of her feelings to the hurricane alert; Marina's angry eyes when Myriam's daughter had come accross her by accident once.

And then their kiss. The real one.

"We haven't taken a merengue class since forever... Do you think that you would still be able to go and dance one with me?"

The blonde's question got welcomed by a scoff from Jane. If this was a challenge then it had to be a very pitiful one. Gulping down the rest of her champagne, the Italian nodded and headed straight to the swimming-pool area where she had watched – once – Maura dance with another woman to the point it had ached.

Genuinely surprised – it wasn't every day that Jane accepted to dance in front of people they knew – Maura let her wife lead her to the dancing spot and as if they had never stopped dancing, resumed the steps they had clumsily made once out in the streets of Bavaros. After a couple of beers, among locals.

"I think we are embarrassing Lucie and Alba."

Her curiosity piqued, Jane turned her head around – following Maura's motion – and smirked at the twins who were staring at them in disbelief; a Coco-Loco in hand.

"Like it's the first time we humiliate them!"

Maura burst out laughing and – in a challenging mood – got even closer to Jane; suggestively. The gesture didn't pass unnoticed. Frost and Frankie whistled at them; thumbs up. She winked at both in return.

They had arrived two days before to a perfect sun – a blue sky – and a quiet sea. The truth was that the resort had become – throughout the years – their second home. They had come back regularly – with the girls – and Lisa and Guadalupe. They knew the island by heart as well as the excursions; a few local expressions. Perhaps one day they would invest and buy a small apartment there.

The symbol of Punta Cana was too strong to ever let go of it completely.

"When did you realize that you were in love with me?"

Jane's question took Maura aback. Her wife rarely gave into such things; barely talked about these. But eager to play along, the honey blonde squinted her eyes and shrugged; brought a hand to Jane's lower back before whispering to her ear warmly.

"The first time we met, at the Division One Cafe."

Jane's smile disappeared into a mock of incomprehension. Obviously, it wasn't the answer that she had expected. Not the slightest bit.

"What?!"

A bit too loud. Half of the guests turned around to look at her; surprised. Alba rolled her eyes. "Oh boy. Here comes the domestic scene." The young woman headed straight to the bar to get a refill.

And chat for a while with the gorgeous bartender. It couldn't do any harm.

Somewhat embarrassed by her own confession, Maura bit her lower lip and looked down; vanishing behind a curtain of blond curls.

"Well... Yes, I guess so. You made my heart beat faster and I am pretty sure that my pericardium..."

Jane raised a hand in the air to stop her. There was no need to lose Maura to a medical lecture right now. Not after the amount of cocktails and champagne she had had.

"Why thank you for only telling me now about it... Really, Maur'!"

The medical examiner offered a pale smile to apologize. "Why? Did you think that I had realized it once here, pretending to be your wife? During our mission? You can ask Guadalupe. I guess I had made a few things clear regarding my feelings for you after the wicker workshop."

Oh. For some reason, Jane remembered this day perfectly. She had gone for sport with Lisa in the hope to get information – anything – from the art dealer who at the time was still suspected of more than one murder and a complex drug traffic.

"When did _you_ realize that you were in love with me?" Maura smirked, raised a playful eyebrow – waiting for an answer – while the music came to an end and they stopped dancing.

Jane frowned. It was ridiculous but she had actually no idea. She had never known, never been able to put a finger on a precise moment and say that it was this. Then. And not any other time.

"Err... Excuse me?"

Lucie's voice rose from a microphone, soon followed by her giggles. _Saved by the bell, Riz'. _Maura and Jane turned around to look at her; mimicking the gesture of all the guests.

With her hair up in a loose bun and her cheeks softly colored by the sun of the previous days, Lucie looked a lot like Maura; even in her way of expressing herself.

Physically, the twins were the spitting image of their mother but there was something in Lucie that went beyond the looks and features; body shape. Something in her voice, in the way she stood.

And obviously the way she couldn't hold Coco-Locos. Jane frowned as she saw her daughter lose vaguely her balance. How many drinks had she had, exactly?

"No worries, mom and mommy bored us all to death with their speeches so it's not like Al and I are about to throw in a third one just to motivate you even more to go back to bed at... What time is it? Ah yes, 10.15pm... But obviously this is an important day for our family and our moms who rock it like nobody else does. We haven't always been the easiest daughters around but I guess Alba won't disagree with me if I say you're the best parents we could have had. Anyway... You must wonder – especially you, mommy – what kind of present we got you this year. Twentieth anniversary. Wow. Obviously we had to make it big. I have to say it took us a loooooong time to find the perfect gift and months of research on the web. But here it comes..."

As Lucie winked at her sister, Jane and Maura understood that they were screwed. Just that and nothing else.

Lucie raised her arm in the air. "Mom, mommy... Here's a big memory of Punta Cana minus twenty years for you... I hope you haven't forgotten the moves... Be ready for... The Couscous Dance!"

"Oh boy." Jane swallowed hard and froze. The Club Med crazy signs. This moment of utter shame she had lived and lived again thanks to her colleagues who had watched the video on the website of the club the day after.

The first notes of the atrocious song rose up. She got tense.

"Why? Why did we have children again, Maura? Why? Must have been your idea. Obviously, not mine. No way I would have accepted to go through that."

Snap on the back of her head.

"Ouch!"

Maura smiled, satisfied of the effect of her last gesture. "And who insisted on coming back here – every year – with the girls to, I quote, make sure that they know about family traditions? They got raised and grown up carried by crazy signs. It is as much your fault as it is mine."

Jane looked at Lucie and Alba dancing along the stupid song; showing everyone how to do, helped by Haumea who knew the Couscous Dance as well.

The Italian sighed. "Yes, fair enough." She smiled.

Maura 1 – 1 Jane

The End

_**Author's note: and here comes the end of the Punta Cana series... Thank you very much for all your reviews and messages. I'm really glad to see that you all enjoyed it to the point you didn't want it to ever stop (!). **_

_**Tomorrow, I will post the first chapter of a brand new fic; obviously Rizzles oriented. Stay tuned!**_


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